for the same strength because hee well knew there was no other strength sufficient to this glorious worke The same Apostle in Heb. 12.2 sets a high value upon Christ and makes him all in this worke of grace and gives it us in direction to looke unto Jesus the author and finisher of faith did we thus eye Christ and value him as he is we should not so often look below him goe in our own strength to finish faith that it might be the author of Christ for so we doe when we will not close with Christ till wee have qualified our selves nor thinke free-grace enough in it selfe till we have such such qualification in us which we think to be sit for grace if not worthy of grace Truly I know no worthinesse of our own that free-grace cals a sit subject for it to work its owne glory out of I find God mentioning his grace under this confideration loving us when we lay in our blood no eye to pâ—tty uâ— grace lives when all help below is dead Now such thoughts as these are exceedingly below Christ that is our life Is this a true value of Christ who hath done suffered pardon'd purchased so much for us as he hath That when we are in streights to goe to duty for relâ—ef and not to the God of duties who is the life of soul duties Is not this matter of reproof to those foolish Galatians which began in the spirit would end in the flesh I thinke there is not any piece of the olde man in Saints that darkens more of the glory of Gods free-grace and damps more of the comforts of his people then this doth to goe any whether but to Christ in streights must needs put a dishonour upon him and be an undervaluing of him for doth it not imply thus much the thing we seeke after is not to be had in Christ or not so soone in Christ as in duties or at least that it is not only to be had in Christ but it is all one whether we goe to him or not now all these are conceptions of the olde man in us when through the Spirit we looke upon Christ as our life we shall see all fulnesse in him grace enough to pitty to pardon and to die for us Righteousnesse enough to cloath us and to present us spotlesse to the pure eyes of his Fathers glory Power enough to take us out of Sathans hands and to defend us from all enemies and all evill Wisdome enough to make us wise in him to guide and to governe us that our conversations may be like children of light and heires of glory Goodnesse enough to supply all wants in us and to give out fulnesse of his owne grace to us yea and happinesse enough to satisfie our soules to all eternity and the soule sayes Christ is enough yea he is all and whether should I goe but to him he hath the words of eternall life in him yea he is my eternall life this is the frame of such soules as doe truly prize Christ as their life A third observation is this Observ 3 That if Christ be a Saints life then a Saint only enjoyes his life as be lives upon Christ in the Spirit When I thus mention Christ I doe it as he doth it himselfe I and my Father am one saith Christ and as I am in the Father so are you in me We are one with Christ through the love of God and enjoy this life through the Spirit of God In John 6.63 Christ tels us it is the Spirit that quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothing As if hee had said what ever you enjoy of mee as your life it is through my Spirit 't is not the fruits of your own flesh 't is what comes from me that is spirit and life to you Our Saviour cleares up this truth in his discouse with that woman of Samaria in John 4.23.24 But the houre commeth and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him God is a Spirit they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth And in another Text the naturall man discernes not the things of God nor cannot because they are spiritually discerned The Spirit only reveales the hidden things of God so the Apostle in Gal. 5.16.18 For we through the Spirit waite for the hope of righteousnesse by faith This I say then walke in the Spirit and yee shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh but if yee be led of the Spirit yee are not under the law In the beginning of this Chapter the Apostle exhorts them to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made them free and in these verses he tels them what this liberty is namely to live upon Christ in the Spirit So likewise in Ephes 3.16 17 18 19. That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inward man that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith that yee being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth length and depth and heigth and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that yee may be filled with the fulnesse of God The sum of the Apostles prayer is in short this That they might live upon Christ as their life to know his love in all the demonstrations of it which is above humane knowledg but he begins thus in verse 16. That they might be strengthened with all might by his spirit in the inward man Hee layes downe this as the foundation As if the Apostle had said Who ever lives on Christ by faith knowing and enjoying his love in the breadths lengths depths and heights of it must doe it by his Spirit that only can make true discoveries of Christ and our interest in him This is the proper office of the Spirit as he is the comforter promised we may see this in Ephes 4.30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God whereby yee are sealed unto the day of redemption Our interest in Christ as he is all to us is sealed up to us in the Spirit it is not a fleshly formall historicall knowledge of Christ in which wee can live on him as our life but it is to know him and enjoy him in the Spirit which is a lively knowledge of Christ and an enjoying of Christ as our life A Fourth Observation may be this If Christ be a Saints life Observ 4 then a Saint should take beed of doing any thing that is against Christ You cannot wounde Christ but you wounde your own lives Christ is your life and if hee looke backe on thee as he did on Peter when he denyed him thou wilt soone reele the wound in thy owne bosome if this truth tâ—ke place in any soule let it then consider how deare every soule is to Christ he
the bare law of Commandement could not raise mee up to holy walking For flesh which was my owne strength that was weake but God having made up that in his Son Now sayes hee the righteousnesse of the law is fulfilled in us who walke not after the flesh but after the spirit And shewes in the 5th verse what it is to walke after the flesh and what after the spirit and in the 6. verse tells us flesh and spirit is the way of life and death but in the 9th verse he shewes who are in the Spirit namely those in whom the spirit of God dwels And sayes plainly that those which have not the Spirit are none of Christs And in the two next verses shewes if Christ lives in a soule by his Spirit then the body of sinne dyes There is a reigning power indeed the whole body of sin killed by the Spirits dwelling and reigning in a Saint and now all the action and motion of such a soule is from God The soule now in all its wants can have accesse to God through Christ in the spirit as in Ephes 2.18 and in Ephes 3.16 17 18. Ephes 2.18 Ephes 3.16 17 18. John 17.38 39. By the spirit in the inward man the soule is an established soule and a knowing soule and so is enabled to act for God in the Spirit John 7.38 39. There is a promise to believing soules of being so filled with the Spirit that there shall be flowings forth Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water And this saith the 39th verse is spoken of the spirit which they that believe in him should receive Now what is the end of this fulnesse of the Spirit but that it should rule and reigne in a Saint and that a Saint should walke and act in it In Rom 6.14 There is a promise sin shall not have dominion over the Saints and the reason is given because saith he you are not under the law but under grace Christ is your sanctification and his spirit of grace shall deliver you from the dominion of sin In 1 Cor. 2.14 15. There a Saints knowledge is spiritual and so dstinguished from the world and this spirituall knowledg living in action in a Saint We shall finde in 1 Cor. 12.11 in the former part of the Chapter the Apostle speaks of spiritual gifts acting diversly in severall Saints but all these workings are from one and the same Spirit so as it is the Spirit that doth all in the Saints In 2 Cor. 3.16 17 18. There is a soule made light by having the vaile taken from its eyes and in that light beholding God saith the Text is changed into his Image Now marke it all this is by the spirits living in a soule A soule living upon God in the spirit hath the vaile taken away and lives in a glorious vision of God by which the soul is changed into the Image of God and this is by the Spirit of the Lord saith the end of the 18. Verse And so in 2 Cor. 5.14 15 16 17. There is a new creature made by the love of Christ which constrained the soul from the powerfull operation of the Spirit wherefore henceforth saith he wee know no man no not Christ himselfe after the flesh No How then Why in the spirit that spirit that sheddes the love of Christ in our hearts and thereby constâ—aines us to live in him that died for us and in whom wee are dead to the flesh but alive in the spirit And thus the Spirit acts the new creature So in Gal. 5.16 17 18 22 25. Verses There is an exhortation to walke in the spirit by which a saint is delivered from obedience to the lusts of the flesh though the flesh lusteth against the spirit yet saith the 18. Verse If yee be led by the spirit yee are not under the Law and in the 22. Verse shewes the fruits of the Spirit and concludes in the 25. Verse If you live in the spirit then walke in the spirit making all a Saints life and action to be in the spirit I will only touch one particular of the life of a Saint out of this generall namely his worship and shew you how all that is in the Spirit for a Saint worshiping God in the Spirit take first John 4.23 24. Which is our Saviours Answer to the woman of Samarias Question in the 20 Verse she as one without the Spirit questions about the places of worship going as far as an eye of nature could carry her to externalls but the Lord Christ in the 21 Verse tells her Woman the houre cometh when neither in this mountaine nor in Jerusalem shall yee worship the father your light is onely in externalls and you worship you know not what and then preaches himselfe to her Salvation is of the Jewes as if he had said God will have his people onely worship him and that in the Spirit for the time comes and now is when the true worshipers shall worship God in the spirit and gives the reason of it for saith he God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth This truth is very fully confirmed in Phil 3.3 false teachers in the foregoing Chapter would have brought the Saints under the law of works a gaine and the yoake of circumcision but the Apostle in this 3. Verse tell us those are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit As if the Apostle had said these false teachers endeavour to bring you under a formall worship and to make you debtors to the law of worâ—s againe But we are above it and we are to live in the Spirit and to worship in the Spirit in the 1 Pet. 2.5 There the Apostle tells you who they be that are sit for communion with God they be living stones alive in the Spirâ—t and acting in the Spirit to offer up spirituall sacrificâ— to God by Jesus Christ I but when is a man a living stone fit to offer up the sacrifice sâ—e that in 1 Joh. 2.27 But the anâ—inting whâ—ch yee have received of him abides in you and the same anointing teacheth you all thinâ—s and is truth and is no lye and even as it hath taught you yee shall abide in him Then is a man a visible Saint a living stone fiâ— to worship God and to have communion with him when he hath received the Vnction of the Spirit by which he is taught of God to woâ—ship in the Spirit and in truth This truth is not taught of man but of God and therefore it abides in him thus you see he that worships God truly worships him in the Spirit What a Spirituall Saint is What a Saint is not First he is more than a Morall-man he that is lesse than a morall-man is a beast and he that is at the heigh of a morall-man is but meerly a man a fine civiliz'd peice of clay loving himselfe and therefore doth â—ot devoute another because
this was not Gods wil Haman hee designes according to his will but it being without God observe the fulnesse of his disappointment and the Justice of God returned into his own bosome In Esther 6. Esther 7. and vers 10. of Chap. 6. The King asketh Haman what should be done to the man the King would honour Doubtlesse Haman thought the King meant himselfe and therefore makes him this answer in verse 8. Let the royall apparrel be brought which the King useth to weare and the horse that the King rideth upon and the Crowne royall which is set upon his head and let his apparell horse be delivered to the hands of one of the Kings most noble Princes that they may array the man withall whom the King delights to honour and bring him on horse-backe through the streets of the City and proclaim before him thus shall be done to the man whom the King will honour It appeares cleare by this counsell that selfe was in his heart but observe in vers 10. the miserable disappointment of this proud selfish man Then the King said unto Haman make hast take the Apparell and the Horse as thou hast said and doe even so to Mordecai the Jew that sitteth at the Kings gate let nothing faile of all that thou hast spoken First Haman is disappointed in that he is not the man Secondly To aggravate his misery Mordecai whom he hated he is the man for whom hee had beene inventing death and dishonour God makes him the instrument to invent honours and to compleat this miserable disappointment Haman himselfe must be the Kings servant to honour Mordecai whom hee hated we see by Hamans answers to the King what proud and selfish men seeke after but their wils being out of God the higher they clime the lower they fall and the greater their expectations be the fuller of misery is their disappointment Yet the justice of God left not this proud cruel man but brought him to be hanged upon the Gallowes of fifty cubits high which he had in his wil appointed for Mordecay This is the fruit of having our wils out of Gods wil So Jonah his wil was the gourd should continue but that was not Gods wil therefore dye it must now how doth this disquiet the man even so much that he seemes to justifie his anger there was no cause of his discontent but that his wil was not in Gods wil. Secondly This doth informe us whence this rest and quiet that is in the bosomes of Gods people doth arise namely in this that their wils are in Gods wil therefore when God declares his wil under any dispensation in the World they are at rest for the appearance of his wil makes their rest all things besides this brings disquietments upon the spirit but when the wil of God appeares it silences all disputes and quiets all thoughts in the heart of him that hath given up his wil to Gods wil this soule doth not quarrel with but kisseth the feete of God when the wil of God lays it there it is in spirit at rest upon a sicke bed because of the wil of God there Disappointments in the outward man do not cease upon this man to disturbance because the wil of God is in them and that is his rest he is best at rest in that wherein he seeth most of Gods wil discovered to him what ever it be in its owne nature this soule can say with David when Gods wil appeares in it It is good for me I have beene afflicted and makes this the discovery of the good and evil of all he meddles with namely the wil of God If Gods wil appeare in it he acknowledgeth it to be good but if he see not that he cannot own it as his good or any thing for him to rest in for he rests only in God and it is nothing but the appearance of Gods wil that makes his Spirit at rest under every dispensation of God and from thence this soule hath a quiet being But againe This truth doth informe us as Saints of our duty to enquire after Gods will in all we doe or require others to doe The will of Christ was that the will of God should be done so is the wil of Saints in conformity to the wil of Christ their head and if to be done then surely to be known Nay Saints ought to doe nothing before they know the wil of God in it If this rule were observed there would not be so much doing and undoing as this uncertaine age affords If God led men into what they doe hee would so owne them that they should not be ashamed of it this is the true reason why men doe and ondoe because in what they doe they seeke their owne wils not Gods wil but hee that hath given up his wil to Gods wil before hee works he will see Gods wil this is the true reason why the men of this World with all their power and policy cannot make Saints worship as they doe the unknowne God or at least wise in such a manner as they know not whether it be the wil of God or no. I say this is the reason because they are bound up in the wil of God so that they cannot worship any unknowne God nor the God they know in any manner but what he makes known to them to be his wil that they should worship him in If men be truly zealous for the worship of God it can goe no farther then this That such as know him and his wil should worship him according to his wil made knowne to them for any thing else cannot be the true worship of the true God Now such as know God and his wil in truth the spirit of truth they are a willing people to worship God according to his wil made known to them by his Spirit in which they worship him If this were seriously considered in the Spirit of God it would appear to be the beauty of Saints not to act before light to know Gods wil and so to doe it therefore Saints should be teaching one another in the Spirit but not to force any where the Spirit hath not taught then there is no neede of forcing for the Spirit of God that teacheth doth also leade his people into obeying of his truths and wil. The Saints in truth speak thus in the spirit of truth to God Not my will nor the will of any man or men but thy will be done Therefore Lord shew me thy wil and it sufficeth he that rules should enquire after the will of God to rule by and he that is ruled for the will of God to be the rule of his obedience Oh that our Rulers did enquire after and finde out this rule to rule by Then would righteousnesse flourish in the Land as a greene Bay-tree and the branches of it would cover the Land with that much desired peace It is the want of this which makes the want of peace did
no truths of Jesus but by the Spirit nor did they ever truly worship or know how to worship God in truth but in by the Spirit and until they received this light they worshipped the unknown God Though Gods wil be free in the manner and measure and time of his dispensations yet he is certainly faithfull to the matter of his promises so that all his people shall beare him witnesse that he is a faithfull God in making good his free promises In a case more particular take Gods promises to Abraham concerning Isaac how fully did God make that promise good though from dead loynes and a dead womb yet nothing can hinder the living God from being faithfull to his promises nay though God commanded Abraham to sacrifice this sonne of promise and to suffer the knife to be almost at his throat yet God makes good his promise and doth all this but to try Abrahams faith not to break the least tittle of his own faithfulnesse The wicked that know not God and despise him shall find him a faithfull God in making good all his judgements upon them Now sayes the beleeving soule Here is another particular the faithfulnesse of God in making good all his promises therefore let him that glorieth glory in the Lord. A fifth particular is this namely The exactnesse of Gods Justice That one example of our Saviour Christ will stop the mouthes of all gainsayers to this particular when Christ did in the flesh hang upon the Crosse bearing all the sinne of his people upon him and having the whole debt to satisfie he did then finish his satisfaction before he came down from his suffering our Saviour tells us himselfe that the work was finished So the Author to the Hebrewes Chap. 10. v. 14. For by one offering hee hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified Christ by this one offering of himself did make a perfect satisfaction to divine Justice otherwise such as he died for could not be made perfect nor could that of the Apostle be a truth That there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Nay God himselfe by the Prophet Isaiah in Chap. 53.11 doth acknowledge satisfactions in the sufferings of Christ He shall see of the travell of his soule and shall bee satisfied God in Christ doth behold his divine justice fully satisfied for the sinne of his people for that is the whole drift of the Prophet in that chapter to shew forth the sufferings and satisfaction of Christ to Gods justice so that we see the exactnesse of Gods justice that his beloved Sonne when once made a propitiation for sinne must pay the utmost of the debt so that he doth perfectly discharge There is exceeding much in this for beleevere to glory in God but I shall forbeare inlargements I am sure it is a full proofe to that which I produce it for Pharaoh and all his Host in the red Sea is another remarkable testimony of the exactnesse of Gods justice so were those murmurers and idolaters in the wildernes Gods dealing with that King which cut off the great toes and thumbs of so many Kings so that we see God is exact in his justice and exceeding glorious in it so in this particular he that glorieth let him glory in the Lord. In the sixth place Consider God in the perfection of his holinesse righteousnesse and purity so if you can either finde spot or wrinkle in him nay he will not leave either spot or wrinkle in any he takes into union with himselfe he makes himself to be his peoples inheritance that so they may be holy in his holinesse righteous in his righteousnesse and pure in his purity God is so perfect in holinesse that he abhorres every unholy thing so exact in righteousnesse that the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees is no better then drosse and dung when Christ the righteousnesse of God appeares God is so full of purity that he is nothing else and yet he is all but he is all pure in all he is so that in this consideration also such as will glory let them glory in the Lord. Again Consider the infinitenesse of the power of Gods wisdome Heaven and earth is full of this glory by his power he makes and preserves gives being and maintaines being to all things Heaven is his throne and Earth is his footstoole Monarkes are but wormes under his feet Isaiah 40.15 So are the Nations of the earth as the drop of a Bucket and counted but as the small dust of the Ballance when they are counted to God they are lesse then nothing and vanity If all created Beings were sum'd up in one they are all but vanity and make nothing to be compared with the infinite power of God which created them God is not onely infinitly full of power to doe what he will but he is infinitly wise to know what to doe how to doe and when to doe for his own glory To this of the wisdome of God I think I shall offer one proofe will be either convincing or silencing all that doe acknowledge God and that is namely this The mystery ef godlinesse Christ in the flesh It is a mistery above any wisdome but Gods to reveale Oh then how great is that wisdome which could make such a mistery this mistery may be admired by Saints on Earth but it will never be fully understood till wee come to Heaven The reason is it is so great a mistery then surely it must be infinite wisdome that is the fountaine of this mistery the depths of God are deep indeed infinitely deepe My meaning is not to enlarge in these particulars onely to give a tast of things wherein God only will appeare the proper subject of his peoples glory so that such as glory may glory in the Lord. The last particular I shall mention is this the eternity of God that God is eternall in all he is the Lord tels us in one Scripture I am God that changes not hee waxeth not old as doth a garment hee dwelleth in eternity God is the same yesterday to day for ever Now this is a fit subject for Saints to glory in not only a glorious God but the God of eternall glory and a God that is eternally glorious Now give me leave to sum up all the former and to adde this to them and then see what we can say for this glory and for this God the subject of our glory who is First the God of originall and eternall love Secondly the God of free grace and eternally so Thirdly a God rich in mercy and that to all eternity Fourthly a God faithfull in making good all his promises and in this also he is an eternall God Fifthly God is exact in his justice and this to all eternity Sixthly God is a God perfect in holinesse righteousnesse and purity And in all these God is eternall Lastly a God infinite in power and wisdome and in these eeternall his power
A Cluster Of Canaans Grapes BEING Severall experimented truths received through private communion with God by his Spirit grounded on Scripture and presented to open view for publique Edification By Col. ROBERT TICHBOURN 1 Cor. 12.7 The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withall Matthew 5.15 Neither doe men light a candle and put it under a bushell but on a candlesticke and it giveth light unto all that are in the house 1 Cor. 1.27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the World to confound the wise and God hath chosen the weake things of the world to confound the things which are mighty Decemb. 25. 1648. Imprimatur Joseph Caryll LONDON Printed by Matthew Simmons 1469. The Author nothaving leisure to attend and correct the Press desires the Reader to be at so much pains as to peruse these Errata and amend what in some places are necessary to be observed to make the sense compleate ERRATA PAge 6. l. 22. leave out and going before blood p. 7. l. 21. for believer r. being for ever p. 22. l. 5. for 35. 53. p. 29. l. 38. for out r. our p. 37. l. 11. for add r. and p. 42. l. 21. for present r. precept p 50. l. 26. for eive r. live p. 58. l. 17. for 35. r. 53. p. 58 l. 20. for sons r. sun p 69. l 28. r. such such p 83. l 14. r. I comprehend and in l. 15. for but r. not p. 84. l. 29. for falshood r. fashioned p. 85. l. 32. for office r. olive p 95. l 32. for ceter r. center p 95 l 36. for he r. thee p 103. l 32. for I have told I you r. I have told you I p 103. l 35. for doe distrust me r. doe you distrust me p 109. l 25. for inful r sinful p 112. l 34. for receive truth r. receive this truth p 121. l 34. for power of their lives r. power of godlinesse in their lives p 125. l. 23. for eyes pursute r eager pursute p 128. l 30. for return r. return of p 131. l 27. for sin r. sun p 135. l 19. for the spirit r. this spirit p 146. l. 1 for constrained r. cōtrived p 163. l 25. for Jews r. Spouse p. 165. l. 2. for but r and p 168. l last r. the workings or God p 182. l 19. for ceasing r. crossing p 18 2. l 27. for you r. he p 183. for rip up r. crye up p 213. l 10. for sure but r. sure none but p 213. l. 27. for upod r. upon p 206. l 5. for fault r. fall p 134. l 16. for body r. other p. 235. l 15. for in his r. or in his p 137. l 14. for give r. have p 239. l 27. for would it r. would if p 240. l 15. for soule ip r. soule is P. 107. l. 20. left out where it is said as those dead bones could not live before God had united them covered them with skin and breathed life into them this should be added no more could they remain dead bones when God had so united them and breathed life into them p. 131. l 7 to he is best satisfied adde not to eate at all To His EXCELLENCY THOMAS Lord FAIRFAX Commander in Chiefe of all the Land Forces under the pay of the PARLIAMENT within the Kingdome of England and Dominion of Wales and the Islands of GARNSEY and JERSEY MY LORD I HAVE observed that Persons engaged by love have used this way to make their acknowledgmēts that when they give their labours to the Worlds view they present them to that hand which hath by kindenesse most obliged them I judge this practice to arise from ingenuity of spirit that where men cannot pay a debt there they wil acknowledge themselves debters Now I beseech your Excellency to give mee leave to take up this practice I am not able to pay the obligements of your Lord-ships love and kindenesse to mee nor in this doe I attempt any higher thing then to acknowledg my selfe your Lord-ships debter for more undeserved favours then any person I know amongst those many thousands that are fellow-debters with mee And if your Excellency shal be pleased to own and accept of this poore acknowledgement I shall declare it to be the fruites of your owne wonted goodnesse my self not at all the lesse but the more your debter I am the more encouraged to Dedicate this to your Lord-ship from the observation that I have made of your spirit to be willing to owne truth and honesty in the lowest person the meanest dress What I here present to your hands I trust will bee found truths by the word and spirit of truth but I confes unto your Lordship it is in a very mean attire without the ornament of humane learning And I expect Worldlings should slight and scorn it upon that account but if they appear truths as truth is in Jesus I am confident they wil be beautiful in your Excellencies eye I have had much struglings between my flesh spirit whether to bury or to bring forth these breathings of God upon my soule The spirit of God hath made them very sweet to me and my spirit judged they might be so to others therefore was I willing to breath them forth but then my flesh objected that the stile was low and meane and that this subject out of my hand would administer matter of scorne from the World and if one of a thousand did value it yet a thousand for one would slight me and it Til it pleased God to cary me above scorn I could not rise to this resolutiō to bring that forth to the World which God by his Spirit had brought into my soule but when I had resolved the world should have it I was not long to seeke in my self of a hand first to present it to but resolved to presume upon your Excellencies exceeding love and goodnesse so as to present it unto your Lordship as the acknowledgement of my reall affections abundant engagements to your Excellency Sir I blesse the Lord I have no base ends in this appearing to the World for if the reasonings of my flesh could have prevailed this had never beene an object for Worldlings scorne And if the Lord shal give you time to read it I hope it wil appeare to your Excellency and to every spiritual eye that shal looke into it that my designe is to lift up something above my selfe Namely God in Christ And finding the same spirit to be in your bosome I am encouraged to dedicate this following Treatise to your Lordship and take that boldenesse as to subscribe my selfe your Excellencies very much engaged and ever faithful servant ROB TICHBURN To the Readers Readers IF you know what you looke for I will tell you what you shall finde that so you may either save your labours or attaine your ends You shall have truth in a meane attire set before your eyes the truths of
God which to a spirituall eye carry their owne beauty but you will finde them without art not adorned with humane learning and so without beautie to a fleshly eye I know you will wonder what I meane to appeare in Print especially in these times when plaine truths from the most of men will finde nothing else but plaine scorne most men having sight but on one side and their stomacks so full of crudities that they cannot beare but vomit up with scorne in the face of him that brings them even saving truths besides you will thinke I cannot bee ignorant but to know that my name will prejudice these truths unto many that live by fancie more then Faith such as will cavill with all truth that comes by a hand they like not and have little other groūds for the truth they take up but that they come by such hands that they at present fancie I confesse I cannot make my selfe so ignorant as not to understand these things nor is it my designe by appearing in Print to make my felfe publike for I expect by it to be the derision of most men nor doe I Print because I thinke the Presse wants worke for I am throughly convinced that much evill hath over spread this Land by those many unsauory Pamphlets and those rending dividing principles which have this way been spread abroad by which the members of Christ have beene scandalized rent and divided and have almost made themselves a pray to the Wilde Boares and the subtle Foxes which have no higher ends but to destroy the tender Vines The reasons why I chuse to render my selfe to the Worlds scorne in this matter and manner are these First In satisfying my conscience in obedience to God in some Scripeures set upon my spirit by himselfe I trust when as my flesh and spirit did contend about this matter And the first is this Freely yee have received freely give Though this was spoken first to the Apostles yet I thinke it doth not exclude any but include every Saint and Disciple of Christ to be free in the giving forth of their knowledge experience and injoyment of God in Christ by his spirit to the World And this is my case What I give I have freely received from the Lord in secret when no eye but his did see me I doe acknowledge it is the free grace of God that makes knowne any title of truth to me and if my heart deceive me not it is the manifesting of his free grace that is my designe in giving forth freely as I receive I shall I trust with much more ease beare the reproaches of the World then I could a concealement of the love of God in Christ In another Scripture I finde that light is not to be put under a bushell but to be held forth that according to its nature it may lighten others and because what Saints have they have received and every talent is to bee improved to the Masters use and the standing rule to Gods people that all things be done to edification and that most which may edifie most therefore in obedience to these Scriptures God hath moulded me into his will and I doe freely cast my selfe upon his love and power to beare up my spirit to carry me through good and evill reports and I hope shall ever esteeme of the Worlds scornes as not worthy of thoughts in that day when God shall manifest his will and worke to me A second reason why I thus appeare is That I might be a Christian Servant to fellow Saints God is as free in giving as he is in saving he gives what hee pleaseth how he pleaseth when he pleaseth and by whom hee pleaseth this I have in some measure experimented of God and thinke it my duty to be a servant to God and to fellow Saints to bring unto them what I have received from him When Saints reveale their knowledge and experience of God they doe thereby confirme strengthen and build up one another in their most holy Faith I know no higher worke that Saints on earth have then this and were it more in practice I doe verily beleeve that the beauty of holinesse and the power of godlinesse would be more transparent but in stead of serving one another this way in the spirit of God we are devouring and destroying one another by an evill spirit of lying and slaundering fomenting unchristian and needlesse jealousies one of another this is either in the beginning or the end of most mens discourses of their printings and it hath beene where I am sure it ought not to be in mens Preachings these tares which the evill man hath sowne amongst the good seed have exceedingly scandalized the Gospell of Christ with the professours thereof and if God delight in this generation hee will exceedingly humile us under this very thing in stead of crucifying Christ in one another Saints should be servants to carry Christ to each other I meane their light in Christ and their experiences of the love faithfulnesse and holinesse of God this would increase love to God and his people in stead of devouring beget imbracings into the bosome and armes of love and faithfulnesse not to bely and scandalize but to honour and vindicate every childe of God A third reason that moves in me is this To stir up those many thousands which this Land affords that are abundantly more able to take up this necessary worke Truly it is sad to see how frothy and light things doe take up the spirits of able and godly men when as this onely thing necessary is as it were quite forgotten not onely dead but buried out of sight I doe beleeve these last seven yeares have brought forth as little of this fruit as any seven yeares before in which men did complaine they durst not send truths abroad least so doing should confine them to prisons had the seven yeares liberty the Presse hath had beene improved in this through the blessing of God it might have left such monuments of God in the World as after ages might have blessed him for I doe beleeve Satan hath hindred much of this worke from appearing by the scandall and reproach of the World which is usually cast upon it truly I found it a very hard thing to get over but when God gave me to understand that The good and comfort of one soule was of greater weight then the reproach of all the World I was immediatly carryed above that temptation and I here mention it to stirre up others to the same worke for doubtlesse God hath many thousand poore Saints in this Kingdome which will gladly gather up those pearles of Divine truths which the Swine of the World trample under their feet if but one soule blesse God in truth for the revealing of these truths though many thousand prophane ones should scorne me to my face yet I shall not lose my end nor repent for my reproaches if God be honoured by them My last
reason is this To give the World a true discovery of my spirit and light in those things which I count weighty and every truth of them to be of more concernment then a thousand Worlds I cannot tell the thoughts of men concerning my selfe nor will presume to take the place of God to judge the thoughts of any but this I can truly tell that in the following truths I have clearely opened my heart to the view of every Reader and have faithfully given to the World what light God hath given to me in those maine truths and fundamentalls of salvation in which my soule lives and what I can cheerefully dye in the next moment This is all I shall say I blesse the Lord I am single hearted in this worke let men judge of me and it according to to their light I have no other end then this That the eternall loving kindnesse and free grace of God may be lifted up in the World and that all his people may know how good a God hee is I confesse these truths of God were in my soule like new Wine in old Bottles my flesh could imprison them no longer and now they are abroad give me leave Reader with them to give thee a word of caution If thou beest spirituall and understandest these truths of God in the spirit and findest them sweet then blesse the Lord let thy heart praise him and thy eye be singly set on him overlooke the creature wholy unlesse it be to glory in the Lord that hath magnified his free grace to so weake a one as my selfe is I acknowledge the truths to be Gods and revealed by his spirit of truth so that the beauty of them must center no where but in him but all the failings and weaknesses from first to last are mine the fruits of my flesh and darknesse I beseech you let God have his due glory though you blame me for my failings let not my weaknesses prejudice any soule against the precious truths of God I trust there is nothing but what are truths of God though weakly managed and if any one amongst those many thousands more descerning eyes then mine shall finde out any thing that is not so I trust if in a spirit of love and meeknesse it be made knowne to me I shall blesse God for that soule and honour his truth by acknowledging my owne errours And to the scorner I shall onely say this I wish you could singly scorne me in it and not God then would your sinne be the lesse and so would my sorrow too for God hath carried me above your scornes and were not your sinnes increased by it the care of either side would be but very small Let me deale plainely with you you wrong your selves not me for I can both live and dye full of joy and rest in the love of God though you shall please your selves in scorning and deriding me and all the returne I shall make to this will be to pity your darknesse and to pray the Lord to give you the light of his spirit by which you may truly know him and Jesus Christ which he hath sent and then I know you will be new creatures I shall hold you no longer in the porch but open every doore of the house that you may both read and see the truths of God made knowne by his spirit to the weakest and one as unworthy as any of his Servants Rob Tichbourne The Contents of the severall Chapters contained in this Booke LOVE to all SAINTS shews union with Christ By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if yee love one another John 13.35 What Christ hath borne for Saints they shall never beare themselves For as many as are of the workes of the law are under the curse for it is written cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the booke of the law to doe them But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God it is evident for the just shall live by faith And the law is not of faith but the man that doth them shall live in them Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us for it is written cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree There is neither Jew nor Greeke there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for yee are all one in Christ Jesus And if ye be Christs then are yee Abrahams seed and heirs according to promise Gal. 3.10 11 12 13.28 29. Gods Children have his Spirit to walk and work in For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sonnes of God For yee have not received the spirit of bondage again to feare but yee have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba-Father The Spirit it selfe bearing witnesse with our spirit that we are the children of God Rom. 8.14 15 16. Gods love giveth Saints to know they shall appeare like Christ Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sonnes of God Therefore the world knows us not because it knew not him Beloved now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appeare what we shall be but we know that when hee shall appeare we shall be like him for wee shall see him as he is 1 John 3.1 2. Christ is the foode of living soules I am that bread of life John 6.48 Christs reigne by his Spirit is the Saints liberty from bondage To redeeme them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons And because ye are sons God hath sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba-Father Gal. 4.5 6. Saints are compleate before God in their union with Christ For in him dwels all the fulnesse of the God-head bodily and yee are compleat in him Coloss 2.9 Free-grace in God justifieth redeemeth through Christ Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus Rom. 3.24 Christ and the new creature are unseparable Therefore if any man be in Christ hee is a new creature 2 Cor. 5.17 Vanity and vexation of spirit compasseth all things under the sunne I have seene all the workes that are done under the Sun and behold all is vanity and vexation of spirit Eccles 1.14 A Saints excellency is to have no will in himselfe but the will of God Saying Father if thou be willing remove this cup from me neverthelesse not my will but thine be done Luke 22.42 No man exceedes another in excellency but by received mercies For who maketh thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou didst not receive 1 Cor. 4.7 None but God can be a proper subject for a Saint to glory in He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord 1 Cor. 1. part of the 30. vers Saints have victory through Christ over Death and by faith glory
in it O Death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory The sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the Law But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 15 55 56 57. FINIS Jan. 25. 1648. I Have delightfully looked upon these Clusters of Canaans Grapes and have helped them to the Presse that they may be Wine for Common drinking I onely minde the Reader that these Grapes yeeld the New Wine of the Gospell Let him take heed hee puts it not into the Old Bottles of envy or of malice of prejudice or of contempt if he doe His Bottles will breake and though the Wine because 't is saving Wine cannot but be safe yet himselfe will be a looser yea in danger to be lost Whereas his profit and Salvation are I beleeve on this side the glory of God the highest end of the Author in this publication as they are of the Licenser Joseph Caryl A Cluster of Canaans GRAPES CHAP. I. Love to all Saints shews union with Christ JOHN 13.35 By this shall all men know that yee are my Disciples if yee love one another THE fore-going verse holds out a Command from Christ that all his Disciples those which love and follow him should love oee another And to this command our Saviour holds forth his love as a pattern and incitation to us to love one another That you love one another saith Christ Verse 34 as I have loved you Our Saviour spake these words a little before bis death that they might be of the more force and make the more impression upon the soules of his Disciples as if he should say remember my dying love and let it live in your bosomes as a precept and example for you to love one another In this 35. verse our Saviour advances love holy spirituall love and makes it a Beacon of discovery This love it is the love of Christ within us for without him we can doe nothing Now Christ makes a double discovery by this love The first is he discovers God his Father and our Father and himselfe to us Secondly by this love he makes a discovery of Saintt to the world as they are in union and communion with him the latter of these is that which is held forth in this verse namely A Saint manifesting to the world his union with Christ by his love to every fellow-member as bearing Christs image The point that naturally flowes from these words is this That love to all Saints is a plain manifestation of our union and communion with Christ When I say all Saints I admit of no distinction but only Saintship living in the Spirit up to their interest as Disciples and followers of Christ Not Saints of such or such a judgement in point of worship nor Saints of a higher or lower growth nor Saints distinguished by their various formes of discipsine but as branches of the true Vine which in their union with Christ bring forth the fruits of the beauty of holinesse and the power of godlinesse Christ gives this as a generall command to all his Disciples to love one another Joh. 15.17 our Saviour tells us this As I am in the Father so are you in me and this is a good foundation of love therefore love one another as I have loved you Joh. 15.12 And in 1 John 4.21 And this Commandment have we from him that he who loves God loves his brother also as if the holy Ghost had said Those that truly love God will love his image where-ever they find it Our Saviour in John 17.20 21. prayes upon this principle he prayes for all that shall beleeve in him his love is not stinted onely unto Apostles or Disciples persons of greatest gifts and graces but it runnes as strongly to the weakest beleever So in the 10. verse of that 17. of John All mine are thine and thine are mine and I am glorified in them Christ by an eye of love beholds that union which the weakest beleever hath with him and beholds his glory in that union Here wee have Christ the purest founntain of love for our pattern his love runnes to all in union with him so should our distinguishing love extend to all that hold the head Christ Jesus and walk in the light and life of the Spirit This truth is so cleare from the first Text that it needs not any more to prove it though the Scripture be abundant in it 2 Thess 4.9 as that 1 John 4.19 20 21. and John 15.12 So take in 1 Thess 4.9 the Apostle makes it as it were a needlesse thing to write to them their duty in this to love their brethren in Christ For sayes he you your selves are taught of God to love one 〈◊〉 nother as if he had said you know nothing of God if you know not this duty if you know your union with Christ you will know that that love which made you one with him hath made you so with every of his members So in that 1 John 2.10 11. 1 Joh. 2.10 11. the holy Ghost there speakes the same thing with the first Text and makes love to the brethren to be a discovering Beame of Christ the Lord of Light and Glory in us The Text is plain Hee that loves not his brother abides not in the light but is in darknesse and walkes in darknesse not knowing whither be goes because he is without Christ the light of life who is the light of that soule hee lives in which soule loves Christ and all that is like him In all these Scriptures you may observe how the heart of Christ and all those that wrot from the Dictates of the holy Ghost is upon this very thing God calls himself the God of Love fils his children with his Divine nature by his Spirit and would have them beare his Name too that the world may know that the Father of Love hath begotten Children of Love in his own likenesse I am afraid we all live much below this eminent discovery of our interest in Christ by our love to all Saints in that latitude which Christ intends it therefore to stirre up and engage our hearts more in this glorious and heavenly duty and priviledge let us in the Spirit of Christ seriously weigh these Reasons and Considerations following First Reason or Consi ∣ deration 1 the Onenesse of all Elect beleevers in the originall love of God consider if we all have not one Fountaine of life and were not all in the first Adam involved into one death of transgression Was there any fallen soule lesse guilty in the fall of the first Adam then another Or was there any that God saw more worthinesse in then in another to move him to chuse such a soule Surely no For then that Word of eternall Truth could not stand in Ephes 2.8 For by grace are we saved not of our selves 't is the gift of God
Ephes 2.8 Every saved soule is a child of free grace and its salvation the gift of God in the fifth verse of that Chapter Verre 5. Even we who were dead in sins hath he quickned us together with Christ there is all in one state of death and all in one state of life and the originall of this life he brings in a parenthesis by grace ye are saved love is in God the originall of it to all alike and it never degenerates from this first principle till it comes through the muddy hearts of fallen creatures and we so much degenerate from God and from love Joh. 17 23◠latter part as we live below this love in the Originall John 17.23 latter part our Saviour there prayes that the world may know that God loves Saints as he loves him And hast loved them sayes Christ as thou hast loved me thus is Christ and Saints in one originall love And if head and Member then surely Member and Member All true Saints lye in this one womb the originall love of God Ephes 4.4 5 6. And thus all Saints are of one Body one Calling have one Lord one God and Father of all the originall love of God makes this Onenesse in all the Saints and speakes very strongly this thing That there should be a uniting of affections amongst all Saints upon the interest of Saints Secondly Reason or Consi ∣ deration 2 consider as Saints our onenesse in union with Christ the rock from whence we are all hewen whom God hath chosen to manifest to us his eternall love and to make us capable of enjoying the fulnesse of that love this union our Saviour speakes to in John 17.23 I in them and they in me that they might be made perfect in one Consider Saints perfection lies in this union surely their affections should flow from this union A Saints compleatnesse is in Christ Coloss 2.10 Vnion with Christ hath all the Arguments of love in it For there is the beauty the fulnesse and the compleatnesse of Christ upon such a soule The excellency of Christ seemes to have but little beauty in such an eye or heart as cannot love upon the naked interest of a Saint Ephes 2.5 If Christ bee enough to gain thy love whole Christ is the interest of every Saint every beleever is quickned together with Christ who in all is for eternall interest alike to all that the Father hath given him His blood equall redemption and satisfaction his righteousnesse is as compleat a robe to all his members as to any where Christ is the Head every Member is compleat in him Christ is Head to the whole elect beleeving Body the Foot hath as good an interest as the Hand or Eye God is no respecter of persons he chuses meerly of his own grace and that grace fils every soule with the fulnesse of him that is the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily So that through that free full grace every soule is compleat in him if this union ingage not love it can be no spirituall object which will doe it for the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily is in Christ and Saints are one with Christ every beame of the love and glory of God shines through Christ Whence is it then that union with Christ takes not all the affections Surely Christ bath but little love from such a soule that findes not this Argument enough to perswade him to love his brother that is one with him in Christ and lives up to his union with Christ bearing his Image Faith workes not lower effects then flesh and blood doth refined affections make stronger and purer motions then the highest piece of simple Nature can doe Now flesh and blood will act thus high I must love he is my brother we had one womb to be conceived in I must love hee is my child he beares my Image surely faith workes higher then this spirituall affections make stronger and purer motions upon union and relations then carnall can doe motion from affection made in the soule by a light of this interest He is my brother one womb of love conceived us both we are both builded upon one Rock of Ages this love out-beats the pulse of carnall affections though it beats very strong love to God and Christ is in the bottome of this motion and carries it strongly on 1 John 4.20 If a man say I love God and hateth his brother he is a lyar if there bee love to God and Christ there will be love to every soul that is in communion with Christ Thirdly Reason or Consi ∣ deration 3 consider the onenesse of Saints in the ingagement of God to all namely his covenant of free grace in which all his people have equall interest it is free from God and so equally full to all God freely ingages to be our God and that we shall be his people and that he will freely forgive our iniquity and remember our sins no more God makes this new covenant to all the new creation to the whole body of his elect in Christ which as the holy Ghost tels us in Ephes 2.10 That we are his workmanship ereated in Christ Jesus unto good workes There is not any soule hath any thing to plead for his eternall life but meere grace and this is the free ingagement of God to every soule that he hath given to Christ this is the sure mercies of David this that better Covenant 't is made in God and cannot be broken And in all this glorious interest all the Saints are one there is not a beame of this glory from God that takes in one Saint and shuts out another The weakest beleeving soule may as truly say God is my God in his covenant of free grace as the strongest beleever Fourthly consider Reason or Consi ∣ deration 4 the onenesse of that way which God and Christ hath chosen to manifest their love and their will to all Saints namely the holy Spirt John 14.17.26 Hete is a generall promise to all Saints that they shall be taught all things and this shall be by the holy Ghost the Spirit of Truth whom the Father will send in Christs Name and he shall dwell with them and shall be in them What ever truth of God any Saint hath learned in truth he hath received it from this Spirit of truth Though God as a free agent gives to his children as it pleaseth him to one more light to another lesse but all receive of this one Spirit and this I take to be that one Baptisme spoken of in the 4. Eph. 4.5 Ephefians 5. Jesus Christ administring himselfe by this one Spirit to all his Children by which they come baptized into Christ into his death and have put on Christ Rom. 6.3 4 Rom. 8.14 Rom. 6.3 4. And are led by the Spirit Rom. 8.14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sous of God To be led by the Spirit
is the interest and prerogative of every childe of God This union runs through all the heires of heaven Gal. 5.22.25 Gal. 5.22.25 Love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith all and every of these in any and in all the Saints is the fruits of this Spirit in which every childe of God as a childe of God walkes all these and every branch of holinesse is wrought by one and the same Spirit in every Saint So all gifts and all degrees of gifts flow from one and the same Spirit 1 Cor. 12.4 1 Cor. 12.4 Now there are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit so Eph. 5.9 For the fruits of the Spirit are in all goodnesse and righteousnesse and truth what ever of these is in any Saint and in all the Saints of God it is the fruits of this holy Spirit this is that life and bloud which runt in the veines of all the Saints of God from which all motion and acts of life flowes Through Christ that strengthens me saies Paul I can doe all things so must every Saint say it is Christ in the Spirit that makes all holy motion in the soule This union of the Spirit in Saints in an eternall union though here some have a greater degree of it then others yet in heaven every Saint shall be filled with the fullnesse of it this Spirit is that Spirit which raised Christ from the dead that dwells in all the Saints and shall quicken our mortall bodies as members of Christ our head at that great day when he shall come to judge the world this makes a very close relation in all Saints one to another and speakes very lowd for strong affections A fift Consideration may be this Reason or Consi ∣ deration 5 Phil. 4.4 That Saints when they joy and glory properly as Saints then they have all one joy and glory in this life namely the Lord our righteousnesse Let him that glorieth glory in the Lord Phil. 4.4 And he that rejoyces in the Lord and makes him his joy may rejoyce alwayes This was Pauls spirit he would glory in nothing but in Christ and him crucified A Saint will acknowledge all his springs to be in God so that he hath no spring of joy on glory but what flowes from God which is the fountaine of all the beauty his eyes see of all the sweet his soule tasts and of all the glory his soule makes after or makes mention of God is all in all and to all his people Whom have I in Heaven but thee sayes the Prophet or whom on Earth in comparison of thee Proper joy and glory in all the Saints hath but one proper fountaine and object and that is God himselfe as all the joy and glory of Saints centre in God so should all their love and this will soone teach us to love one another Lastly Consider Reason 6 and last That Saints shall have all one glorious being to eternitie John 17.24 Christ will manifest his love to all eternitie to his people he will have them all as happy as himselfe Then shall wee know indeed the life of our union with Christ and with one another Mothinkes the discovery of that love which hath made this union should beget love in all those that are thus united in the eternall love and glory of God Colos 3.4 Christ is the life and the glory of all his people and at his appearance they all oppeare in glory 1 Thes 4.16 17. This glorious being of the Saints shall be to a beleever with the Lord Oh how should this draw forth our love one to another that we shall ever be with the Lord of love if Saints be one in all these that these comprehend the whole of a Saint then why should we not be one in affection Possibly some may say wee are not all of one judgement Object and therefore cannot be one in affection That I am verily assured is our own not Gods is of the flesh Answ and not of the Spirit Through Christ says Paul I can due all things if wee looke upon one another in Christ then wee shall finde wee can love because in Christ I would aske this question Whether is the greatest argument of love being children â—f one Father or being children of equall growth or stature For I am perswaded this will comprehend all the differences among the Saints namely our state and our growth as child ren in our Fathers house the branches in Christ live and grow because in him shall wee be angry if God who is a free agent gives out more or lesse of himselfe to one brethren then to our selves Growth is as God disponses of himselfe to us What have you that you have not received sayes the Text It was the fleshly argument of Josephs brethren not to love him because they thought him dearer to their Father then themselves and because God would use and honour him above them It is the sinne and shame of Saints to make this the rule of love to their brethren that they are of one judgement at one pitch of light in the discoveries of God and not because he is a brother and beares our Fathers image If God intended to dispence alike to all his Children why then hath he provided milke for babes and stronger meate for stronger Saints And what is the meaning of God when he equires the strong to bear with the weak and to receive them but not to doubtfull disputations If a Saint makes onenesse of judgement to be the rule of his love to his brother he must then make the cause of his dislike to proceede from God because he that is free in giving hath not given equall light to all Let us take heed in this our quarrell wee be not found figbters against God He that makes his judgement to be the foundation of his love to his brethren I doubt he lays a greater weight upon it then the foundation will beare Saints knowledge in this life admits of a mixture wee know but in part and wee see but in part thou seest something of God that another sees not and another sees something of God which thou at present seest not and God beholds much of flesh and darknesse in all Saints Now consider if this glimmering light this knowing in part and this mixture of flesh and spirit be foundation strong enough to lay the weight of our love to Saints upon Spirituall love is of the greatest weight that can be this love is God for God is love so that no foundation is strong enough to beare the weight of this love but God himselfe 2 Cor. 5.16 2 Cor. 5.16 In the foregoing verse Paul lookes upon himselfe and all Saints as dead and alive with Christ and therefore he resolves in this 16. verse to know all Saints as they are in Christ to know no man after the flesh no not Christ himselfe he makes God alone the object and the foundation of his love And
the man that is not discerned or not esteemed nay very naturall relations upon this account come to be forgotten O the hideous effects of these fleshly wayes which destroyes all that is good of outward and inward man O that the streames of our contentions might be turned and our strivings to exceed may bee built upon a better foundation then a bare form of godlinesse even upon the power of godlinesse let us strive to exceed in holinesse and humility who shall be most like to our head and be made most conformable to the death of Christ A fine piece of Nature may talke up much of Christ and contend much for Gospel-formes but it is onely the workings of the Spirit by which a soul doth live up much of Christ Circumcision or uncircumcision it avails nothing but the new creature and it is spirituall worship that God requires John 4.24 John 4.24 God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth And in Rom. Rom. 8.14 8.14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sonnes of God This Spirit discovers the mind of God to his people in every form he would have them to receive but it also carries the soule through and above every forme to live upon God himselfe Gal. 5.22 23. and in the power of godlinesse Gal. 5.22.23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnes faith meeknes temperance and so forth And in the 25 verse If you live in the Spirit also walk in the Spirit It is not a bare talking either of Form or Spirit but a living up to God in the Spirit the fruits of which is love and so forth ambition to exceed in these fruits of the Spirit is that which God will own and crown it is safe and sweete diving into these deepes these be heights and breadths and depths and lengths indeed but God is to be found in them all so that there is no feare of miscarying but empty formes without God become our ruine I may truly say with the Prophet that we give our money for that which is not bread when we spend the zeale of our spirits in contending for formes of godlinesse I shall ever account best of that which leaves most of God and least of selfe behinde it And truly my experience tels me that when my thoughts and affections have travelled most through this pleasant path of God in the Spirit and the power of godlinesse this hath been the effect of it God hath in a good measure dispossessed the old man in me and giuen possession to the new man the Lord Jesus Now this experience begets this advice that our hearts and affections should be more pitched upon the power of godlinesse and doubtlesse wee shall finde that power in it as to engage our affections one to another by which the world will know us to be Christs Disciples And lastly this may comfort us when we consider those that hate us purely for godlinesse-sake looke upon them under this consideration they are not Christs Disciples nor can they in such a worke be owned or helped by him They may boast of their horse-men and Chariots but all their strength is weakenesse for they engage without God nay they engage against God and that makes them lighter then vanity and Saints in their sufferings are followers of Christ and contend in his might God is his peoples strength and their portion for ever Let us love our brethren then and not feare our enemies Love to God and Saints and suffering for the spirituality and the power of godlinesse are two undeniable witnesses that we are Disciples and followers of Christ CHAP. II. What Christ hath born for Saints they shall never bear themselves Gal. 3.10 11 12 13 28 29. For as many as are of the workes of the law are under the curse for it is written cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the booke of the law to doe them But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God it is evident for the just shall live by faith And the law is not of faith but the man that doth them shall live in them Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us for it is written cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree There is neither Jew nor Greeke there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for yee are all one in Christ Jesus And if yee be Christs then are ye Abrahams seede and heirs according to promise THe generall scope of the Apostle in these verses The scope I humbly conceive to be this namely to empty the creature of all hopes or possibility ever to attain a happy and blessed condition in it selfe out of Christ in which worke he strips the soule of all externall priviledges and dutieâ— in point of Justification and then makes Jesus Christ to be all in all to every redeemed soule The former part of this tenth verse is a positive conclusion that whoever is under the workes of the law for life is also under the curse of the law for death that is he which chooseth to be approved and justified in the fight of God from the workes of his owne hands and heart The sense must also be condemned before God in the failings and imperfections of those workes The latter part of this verse is a full proofe to the position laid downe in the former part of it If all things in the booke of the Law be not done and fulfilled then the curse of the Law attends and seizes upon every such soule as would live by the works of the Law Deutr. 27.26 Deut. 27.26 Cursed be he that confirmes not all the words of this law to doe them That soule which would fetch life from the workes of the law must performe all or hee loseth all hee hath done and his eternall soule with his dying duties The observations which I have received from hence is this That God hath not made a separation of the workes of the law from the curse of the law Observ 1 to that soule which would live by them And if God hath not man cannot this is that state of bondage spoken of in Gal. Gal. 4.9.23.30 31. 4.9.23.30 31. Those are children of the free woman whom Christ hath made free If the Sonne have made you free you are free indeed And those are children of the bond-woman that are obliged to any thing that is holy in their owne strength without Christ There is no soul free from these bonds but those which are bound up in the armes and cords of Christs love and this is the redemption which Christ made of his elect body when hee was in the flesh made under the law to redeeme them that were under the law to the adoption of Sonnes Gal. 4.4 5. Christ
answer to those Jewes which thought themselves not to be under bondage because they were Abrahams seede in the flesh our Saviour tels them this externall interest did not make them free-men For sayes hee notwithstanding this you are under sinne Vers 34. Who ever commits sinne is the servant of sinne and your fleshly interest in Abraham doth not acquit you from the bonds and servitude of sinne but if the Sonne have made you free then are you free indeed As if Christ had said Abraham could not beare your sins and the wrath of God due to them for you and therefore you are in bondage still but what the Son bears he makes them perfectly free from for whom he beares it Christ came to save those that were lost And he tels us when he gave up the ghost upon the Crosse that the worke was finished And in John 17.4 I have glorified thee on earth Joh. 17.4 I have finished the worke thou gavest mee to doe Christ tels his Father that he had lost no glory in sending him upon the worke of Redemption for says he I have finished that worke thou gavest me to doe which was to worke out a perfect Redemption for his people Isa 61.1 To give liberty to the captive and to open the prison doores Isa 61.1 If this bee a truth as doubtlesse it is that what-ever Christ hath borne for a believer that a believer is fully redeemed from then it will be worthy a Saints best serious consideration in searching the Scriptures and in the Spirit giving eare to heare and heart to consider what they say Christ hath borne for us First I finde by that 2 Cor. 5.21 that Christ hath born sinne for us For he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sinne that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him The text speaks in the abstract He was made sinne for us There cannot be a fuller expression there is the act God making Christ to be sinne for us or taking all sinne off from us and laying it upon him as was typified under the law in the Scape-goate which went into the Land of Forgetfulnesse Now the issue and effect of this act followeth in the Text That we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him This expression is as full as the former the holy Ghost expresseth the sinner for whom Christ was made sinne to be as fully acquitted from sinne as Christ is made sinne Marke the words made the righteousnesse of God in him so perfectly righteous that God ownes the soule as one with himselfe righteous as being one with Christ who is the righteousnesse of God Now the soule that is thus righteous must needs be acquitted from all finne the righteousnesse of God and the condemnation for sinne is as light and darknesse which cannot be together in one soule If Christ once come into a soule and tels that soul by his Spirit that he hath borne all its sins and so makes the soule to believe in the free grace of God and to rest upon Christ as his righteousnesse that soule is as fully in the fight of God acquitted from sin as Christ was by God made sinne for it This soule stands before God compleate in Christ not having spot nor wrinckle in it All that can be said is said in this That soule for whom Christ was made sin is thereby made the righteousnesse of God in him So that Christ having borne the sinne the soule never more beares that in his owne person before God but doth alwayes stand both before the throne of justice the throne of grace as fully cloath'd with Christ his righteousnesse as Christ upon the Crosse was with his sinne Isa 53.6 The Lord hath laid upon him the iniquities of us all Iniquity is one with sin here now then read this truth with an eye and heart of faith that what Christ hath borne for us we are fully delivered from and then will the glory of free grace be lifted up and our soules made to rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory in believing Secondly Christ hath fulfilled the Law and borne the curse of it for his people Gal. 4.4 5. Christ was made under the law to redeeme his people from all that in the law which was weight and burthen from the curse of the law Gal. 3.13 From the reigning and condemning power of it he hath satisfied and keeps the law fully for us In Gal. 4.5 6. there Christ hath redeemed us to the liberty of sons the spirit of adoption reigning in our consciences and conversations above the letter of the law so that in Rom. 8.2 3 4. There the Apostle tells us That by vertue of the law of the spirit of life in his union with Christ Jesus hee had freedome from the law of sin and death That law of commandement by which sinne revived and the soule dyed he was delivered from by the spirit of life in Christ Jesus For sayes he what the law could not enable the soule to doe because of the weakenesse of the flesh that did God by sending his Sonne in the flesh and for sinne condemned sinne in the flesh that is condemned our sinnes and satisfied his law and justice for them all in the death of Christ So that now the righteousnesse of the law is fulfilled by Christ for us who walke not after the flesh but after the spirit The law was fulfilled and had its accomplishment in Christ that is the law in the letter and the soule now through union with Christ is taken up to live in the law of the spirit of life that is the spirit of God lives in the soule and is a law and a life to it not only teaching but leading the soule into all truth it is the law of the spirit and so the law of life it is the law of love and so the law of life Nay it is God himselfe displaying his love and reigning by his Spirit in the souls and consciences of his people and so it is the law of the spirit of life and all this to the soules of his people in Christ Jesus Gal. 5.18 But if yee be led by the Spirit yee are not under the law A soul which lives not and acts not upon Christ in the Spirit so farre as as he doth not he is under the law of sinne and death in all hee doth but it is a certaine deliverance from the law of the flesh in our conversations and the law of the letter in our consciences is to be ledde by the spirit of Christ and to walke in that spirit Ephes 5.8 9. For yee were sometimes darknesse Ephes 5.8 9. but now are yee light in the Lord walke as children of the light For the fruits of the Spirit is in all goodnesse c. They were never without the letter yet sometimes darke saith the Text but the light of the Lord in which the redeemed of Christ should walke
in Christ so as to be ever well pleased with it and to delight in it 2 Cor. 5.21 For he hath made him to be sinne for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him God hath made Christ the foundation of his eternall love when hee beholds the travell of his soule he is well pleased which he doth in every soule he hath united to him The third Gospel-truth is this That a Saint doth then only truly and properly enjoy his life when be lives by faith upon God and Christ in the Spirit It is not enough to know the rule of the law in the letter and some of the worke of the law in our lives to know all the formes of Gods worship under the law and Gospel To know and to be under all these is nothing when ignorant of the knowledge of God through Christ in the Spirit Knowledge in all the former substracted from the latter is but to know that we are under the chaines and the power of darkness Our life consists neither in circumcision or uncircumcision but in the new creature Christ living in us and we in Christ The life that we now live 't is by the faith of the Sonne of God by faith feasting and satisfying our soules upon the love of God in Christ the Spirit that teacheth and leadeth the soule into all truth even the God of truth and there the Spirit teacheth the soule to read God to be a God of love and so to enjoy him and live in him through Christ as a God of grace and a faithfull God that will keepe Covenant with his people and not impute sinne to that soule for whom Christ hath dyed Our life shall be for ever with God and in God enjoying nothing but God and all of God in heaven this is truly our life now as we are one with Christ only the clouds of mortality darkens it and so farre as we live upon God through Christ in the Spirit so farre and no farther doe we truly enjoy life in any condition and what we strive for here below is not our life nor truly worth our contending for all the weary pursutes of the heart of man which center not in Christ must wither before they come to their journeyes end for they have no life to carry them through A childe of God can finde no rest but the bosome of his Father and no way to that rest but Christ the great gift of his Fathers love so that God and Christ is both the way and the end of a Saints rest that is enjoying fulnesse of blisse in God who is all in all to all his people Gospel truths should be teaching to Gospel-Saints and these truths accompanied with the spirit of truth may first teach and informe all Saints where our life and interest lies namely in God and Christ God opening the bosome of his love and giving us Jesus Christ Jesus Christ giving out his blood his life and all that God requires to satisfie justice and to make a compleat redemption Christ putting on our flesh and taking upon him the curse due to us and all to this end to be Mediatour to stand betweene a displeased God and a poore soule to become sinne for us that wee might become righteousnesse in him Our life lyes neither in the workes of the Law nor the formes of the Gospel but in that love which gave Christ to be made under the Law to fulfill the Law for us and in that Jesus which is the Lord and the life of the Gospel the Gospel is glad tidings which is Christ crucified The highest forme is but a darke representation a cloud without light if Christ which is the light of life be not in it 'T is God in Christ that is our life Let us not turn againe to the beggerly rudiments under which we shall be in bondage but in the Lord of glory to live only upon God in Christ who is the true light and life of Saints to seeke life in any thing else is to seeke the living amongst the dead Again These Gospel-truths should teach and exhort Gospel-Saints to beleeve in God he is a God of grace and he is a faithfull God he makes good his covenant of grace that our sinnes and iniquities hee will remember no more to charge them upon the believer for hee hath fully charged them upon Christ and hath satisfied his justice to the full in Christ And hence it is that by way of comfort our Saviour in John 14.1 bids us to beleeve in God through him Yee believe in God believe also in me that is looke upon the covenant of God and all the promises of God made good in me believe that what my Father hath given me to doe I have finished it all the worke of your redemption and what ever God hath laid upon me shall never more be laid upon you though it made me sweat drops of blood and at last give up the Ghost yet I have finished the worke I conquered by yeelding and overcame by dying and I am risen again to beare witnesse of my victory over sinne death hell law and grave for you and thus I would have you to believe in mee and in God who gave me out of his bosome of love to be all this to you Distrust of these trutths is to put a question upon the faithfulnesse of God and the fulnesse of Christ God promises to pardon freely Christ undertakes to satisfie fully now a doubt of either is unworthy in him that is an heir of both In the next place me-thinkes this cals for much love from Saints to God and Christ Oh how should we love God that hath freely given us Christ and with him all things The great God of heaven and earth had no greater gift then Christ to give and him he hath freely given us and in Christ himselfe his Spirit his Kingdome and his glory too Who would not love a heart so full of love as Gods heart is How can wee chuse but love a hand so full of love as Gods hand is What ever may justly command or invite love it is in the heart and hand of God there are mercies free and full in God at his right hand is fulnesse of joy for evermore Love had its first conception in the heart of God we love him because he loved us first The glory of his love is the rise of our love the piece-meales of beauty and glory which we earnestly seeke and pursue after in the creature they all center in God what ever it is that might be taking to oul affections that is in its primitive glory as it is in God and truly did we see God by an eye of faith as we do things below with an eye of sense the brightnesse of his glory would darken all lower glories and all the streames of our affections would runne into God who is the fountaine and originall of all love and lovelinesse
me and so hath taken all my sinnes and the punishment due to sinne from mee And as he was made sinne for me so am I made righteousnesse before God to all eternity in him hee is the full satisfier of divine justice for mee so that I am compleatly righteous in the righteousnesse of God in him thus doth the Spirit seale and roote and ground and establish a soule by faith in Christ And in this assurance it is that the Saints have accesse by one Spirit unto the Father Ephes 2.18 as in Ephes 2.18 In this assurance the soule runnes with holy boldnesse and throwes it selfe into the bosome of his Father In this spirituall light the soule sees that there is nothing but Christ betweene him and his Fathers bosome and this Christ to be him that hath taken all sinne punishment due to the sins of his people on himselfe so that there is not the least tittle of them to stand between God and the soule nothing but Christ betweene and this Christ stands only as the way to the Fathers bosome not to keepe out as the Angel with his sword at the entrance of the garden but to carry home and to present spotless to his Father so that God may truly say of us we have his righteousnesse in Christ Ephes 1.13 14. For further proofe looke into that Ephes 1.13 14. There the Apostle having spoken of the secrets of God his election and predestination according to his purpose in Christ in whom after yee believed yee were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise which sayes he is the earnest of our inheritance plainly making the Spirit to be the seal and the earnest of a Saints inheritance It was from this seale that Job could say I know that my Redeemer liveth and that I shall behold him with these eyes And so the Apostle I know sayes he if this earthly tabernacle were dissolved I should have a building not made with hands eternall in the Heavens And thus the soule is carryed above all feares under the spirit of bondage by living upon God and Christ in the spirit of Adoption bearing witnesse to the soule that it is the childe of God and so filling the soule with God that it is quiet add established and lives boasting in God as the Apostle Paul in Rom. 8. the latter end Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect who shall condemne or separate from the love of God in Christ nothing not life nor death nor any thing shall be able to dee this How knew he this why he tels you in vers 16. The Spirit of God did bear witnesse of this to his spirit And thus the soul through the seale of the Spirit quitely waites for his period in a state of grace till he be swallowed up into the fulnesse of that glory which is by the same Spirit sealed up for it as in Gal. 5.5 We through the Spirit waite saith the Apostle yea and not only wait but waite satisfied under possession the soule is satisfied with a fulnesse of eternall life as in John 4.14 There is the Spirit powred forth into a satisfying of the soul that it thirsts no more after any thing but God and is satisfied with God for it is a well of water springing up to eternall life I shall satisfie my selfe with thus much in the proofe of the first head namely the sealing worke of the Spirit of God in a Saint or a Saint sealed up to the eternall love of God by his Spirit By this we should examine our assurance of Gods love Vse whence we fetch it whether from within or from without whether from externall duties and priviledges or from an internall seale we seee it is Gods end in giving his Spirit that by it Saints may be sealed up to the day of Redemption and that we may thereby know we are his children And this wee finde to be in the experience of the Apostle Paul and other Saints Now let us aske our soules doth our assurance rise from the witnesse of the Spirit of God to our spirit Truly we shall never be established in our spirite till we come to this pitch If we live only upon those graces that flowe from the Spirit it will be a very uncertaine life for our own hearts can best witnesse how many ebbings and flowings of the fruits of the Spirit is within us Now if Gods love ebbe and flow to us as our love doth to him how changeable shall wee make God to be and how unsetled must our spirits needes be sayes God my love is unchangeable and to assure you of it I give you my Spirit to beare witnesse with your spirit that yee are the children of my love God gives his Spirit that we may looke on himselfe which is unchangeable he loves because he will love and as we can give no reason of his love so God gives no period to his love And when once the soule of a Believer comes thus to live on God himself by his spirit then he is an established soul But I hasten to the second head namely a Saints walking and working in the Spirit or the Spirit ruling and reigning in a Saint and this I gather from the 14. and 15. verses of John 14.17 There is the spirit of Truth dwelling and being in a Saint John 14.17 and the Saint knowing of this possession Here is a being and abiding a possession that leads to a ruling and a reigning The Spirit in a Saint is Christ in a Saint now Christ is a Saints head to rule in him and reigne over him And in verse 26. the Spirit puts forth an act of its Soveraignty teaching all things a Saint acting knowingly acts from the Spirit that teaches And in John 16.13 14. There is a further discovery what the Spirit shall doe when it hath possessed a soule why it makes discoveries of Christ to the soule for he shall receive of mine and shew it unto you and thereby you shall be guided into all truth And as a Saint is elected into God and Christ so the holy Spirit dwelling in him he lives in and to God and Christ possessing all fulnesse in God and Christ and making all his performances from God and Christ And thus he walkes and workes in the Spirit Rom. 8.1 2 3 4 5 6.9 10 11. and the Spirit rules and reignes in him This Rom. 8.1 2 3 4 5 6 9 10 11. speaks very exactly of a Saints walking in the Spirit and the Spirit reigning in a Saint They that are in Christ Jesus saith he walke not after the flesh but after the spirit And in verse 2. he tells us he acts only in Christ and lives by the law of the Spirit in Christ Jesus which hath freed him from the law of sinne and death As if hee should say all my duties and performances it is Christ living and acting by his Spirit in mee For saith he in the 3d verse
vers 50. and 51. This is the bread which commeth downe from heaven that man may eate thereof and not dye I am the living bread which came downe from heaven if any man eate of this bread he shall live for ever And the bread that I will give is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world Here I say Christ demonstrates what is the bread hee meant namely himselfe in the flesh and he becomes this bread of life by giving his life in the flesh for us In the 53 54 55 56. verses of this chapter out Saviour shewes us how that interest in him as a crucified Jesus is our life and that he may fully cleare this out to us he holds forth himselfe not only a crucified Saviour but a living God In verse 57. As the living Father hath sent me and I live by the Father so he that eateth me even he shall live by me Our Saviour's argument seemeth to be thus I live as one in God and you as one in mee And thus is Christ that bread of life or that bread which gives life to his owne in the world Thus much for proof to the two heads that were first laid down I shall now hold out such spiritual observations from what hath gone before as I have received from Christ And the first observation shall be this namely That Christ only is a Saints life By this I mean that every sparke of a Saints life lies in Christ and so in Christ that it is in nothing else in which Christ is not all Christ is so fully and solely a Saints life that take all duties ordinances priviledges and externall advantages whatsoever substracted from Jesus Christ and they are all dead things but like the grave cloaths in the Sepulchre when Christ was risen Our Saviour himselfe beares witnesse to this truth I am the way the truth and the life No man comes to the Father but by me It is a truth so deare to God and Christ that Christ speakes to it in this place as fully as termes can expresse it both in the affirmative and the negative I am the life sayes Christ that is in the affirmative And so the life that no man comes to my Father the fountaine of life but by me there in the negative and affirmative both in the negative exclusive from Christ and in the affirmative inclusive If wee consult that place in John 16.14 where our Saviour speaks of the office of the Spirit and the usefulnesse of it in the hearts of his people we shall find it speak to this thing we have in hand John 16.14 He shall glorifie me for hee shall receiverf mine and shall shew it unto you Marke it the work of the Spirit is to reveal Christ to us as he is our life and so glorifie Christ in shâ—wing him to be our life As if Christ had said the holy Ghost when he comes hee shall shew you your names written in the booke of Life with my blood all your sinnes laid on me and that I have buried them in my owne wounds so that they shall never rise up in judgment more against you my righteousnesse your robe of glory perfect glory in the sight of God my law of love written in your hearts to be the power that shall slay sinne in your lives Thus the Spirit shall glorifie me in shewing you that I am your life in whole and every part of it Christ as hee is one with God is our fountaine of life in all our addresses to God he is our way truth and life For further confirmation take the experience of the Apostle It is not I saith the Apostle but Christ that lives in me and the life that I live it is by the faith of the Sonne of God And in another place Our lives are bid with Christ in God Take this Text for all 1 Cor. 1.30 But of him are yee in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us wisdome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption Marke it here Christ is made all by God to us for what can you call life that is not bound up in some or all of these The 29. verse of that Chapter gives a good and â—ull reason why God made Christ all to his people namely this that no flesh should glory in his presence This reason is so full that the truth stands strong upon it against all gain-sayers grace were nor grace if flesh had any thing in it selfe to glory of in the presence of God our life to be only in Christ preserves as entirely the glory of Gods free-grace as it doth the safety of our soules for that soul that glories in Christ as his life glorifies the free grace of God which gave that life When the Apostle speakes of the acts of life in his soule he makes Christ all for sayes hee I can doe all things through Christ that streng thneth me And the same Apostle in another place sayes he it is meerely of grace that I am what I am so that you see where Christ is made all there free-grace hath the glory of all and this is the great designe of God to all eternity to glorifie his free grace Thus much shall suffice for the first observation That Christ only is a Saints life A second observation is this If it be thus Saints should value and esteeme of Christ as their lives Saints what meane these carnall feares doth not Christ live If the world be nothing is not Christ enough Why feare you so much to loose the meate that perisbes when Christ this bread of life lives for ever cannot you be content the world should bring forth wants why there is no other place of want but that there is bread enough in your Fathers house Heaven only is the proper place of fulnesse doth it not speake an undervaluing of Christ that carnall feare shall possesse our spirits of want when Christ the fulnesse of the God-head bodily is our life portion Nay what mean these stoopings and bendings of our judgements affections services to the world and worldly ends Is not this the end of it to live in their love and esteeme so as to make a portion of perishing things friends of the unrighteous Mammon Saints will this stand with an esteeme of Christ as our life A soule that truly values Christ it pants thus in spirit Let me know truths as they are in Jesus and obey them in the spirit of Jesus God hath made the world my foote-stoole as it is his and I am one with him Christ is only my life and glory I would trample upon my foot-stoole and lie downe in the bosome of Christ who is my life and glory this is a soule that truly values Christ But tell me Saints if we value Christ as our life or portion and our crowne of glory our best and truest friend our faithfull brother and our loving husband one that hath borne all Gods wrath
for us who hath dyed that we might live and whose love is so great that hee cannot live in heaven without us Father I will that those which thou hast given me be with me where I am saith Christ in Iohn 17. If we thus looke on Christ and value him whence is it that we so easily grieve him Ingenuous nature teaches this to be tender of offending them we value and put a price upon their love Doth not grace exceede nature in this Surely it doth Oh then let our lives speak our loves to Christ and our value of him this is the language of the Spouse I charge you O yee daughters of Jerusalem that yee stirre not up nor awake my love till he please Cant. 2.7 Love and value of Christ wrought this frame of spirit in the Spouse she was tender of the pleasure of Christ and improves all her interest among the daughters that Christ might rest his pleasure Is not the Spouse here a type of a godly soule that hath interest in Christ If so then sure her spirit should be ours if we value Christ it will make us tender that he rest his pleasure it is but equall Christ should have rest in us for hee hath travailed for us and trod the wine-presse of his Fathers fury alone Now tell mee Saints doe you thinke Christ can rest and take pleasure in our bosomes when they are so full of worldly love and carnall aimes and ends with pursuites answerable doe we esteeme of Christ when we make him such a bed to lye in can we say we love and value him when we entertaine those in our hearts with him that crucified him namely our lusts Is this entertainment and company for the Prince of glory Oh if wee prize and value Christ that will be only deare to us which is deare to him his rest and his pleasure will be our rest and our joy and what ever wounds Christ will wound us That soule which sees its interest in Christ and values that beholds Christ upon the crosse wounded and bleeding for his sinnes and is so affected with that kindnesse of Christ that when ever hee sees Christ bleed afresh with any fins committed by him the soule is as it were in Christs roome hee is then crucified not to satisfie for his sin for that he sees is fully done by Christ for him and could never have been done but by Christ but the reflection of love and the value of Christ wounds this soule cleane through Christ sayes such a soule travelled as low as Hell to redeeme me for there I was by nature The first Adam left me there and the second Adam only plucked me out and in this travell he sweate drops of water and blood hee tore his way through his owne bowels to redeeme my soule he puts his owne robe of righteousnesse on me and never leaves this pursu it of love till he bring mee into his Fathers and his owne glory and I can never sin against lesse love then this Oh this value of Christ it makes a gracious soule exceeding tender of any thing that may displease Christ whom his soule loveth An experienced soule in the wayes of Christ will tell you it is the hardest travel that ever it went to step a step in the ways of sin after it hath apprchended the love of Christ been taught by the spirit to value that love and I believe if Sathan could speak truth he would confesse it to be the hardest work he hath to draw a soule that beholds Christs love and values that love in any soule Therefore as the only remedy against sin eye Christ love value him But Saints if we thus value Christ as our life and our all whence is it that in time of distresse we seek reliefe of broken cisterns and forsake the fountain of life my meaning is this When under a weake or a wounded state by sin we flye to duties for relief and not to Christ to renew the graces of Christ in us and not to eye our interest in Christ as hee is the gift of free-grace this is an undervaluing of Christ who in Prov. 3.18 is said to be a tree of life those graces you would live on is the fruits of this tree and are only fruits of life as they flow from interest communion with this tree of life doe but consider the folly of our spirits when wee flie from Christ to duties and to the stirring up of gifts and graces in us for our reliefe in such a state for fallen man is a creature that can act no grace in himselfe and grace without the breathings of Christ is as dead as man no grace can act it selfe Take our Saviours testimony to this truth in John 15.4 5. Abide in me and I in you as the branches cannot be are fruit of it selfe except it abide in the Vine no more can yee except you abide in me I am the Vine yee are the branches hee that abides in me and I in him the same brings forth much fruit for without me you can doe nothing Our Saviour in this maine point thinkes it not enough in the comparison he made to shew fully how that all the acts of life in us flows from himself which is our life But he concludes in these plain words without me sayes he you can doe nothing The Spouse of Christ in Cant. 4. last she honors Christ in believing this truth for she cals for the Spirit of Christ to blow upon her garden of spices that they may flow forth The spices here are the graces of a Saint and it is the breathings of Christ in the Spirit that gives them all life no grace hath life in it selfe nor can it act it selfe but Christ he is the life and the motion of every grace as hee is the soule it lives in It is a mistaking Christ and an undervaluing of him when we goe to duties that they may carry us and commend uâ— to God Christ is the only way to God and it is hee only that carries us as living soules to duties and through duties in and by his owne Spirit The Apostle knew this well enough when he made that prayer Coloss 1.11 Be yee strengthened with all might according to his glorious power In verse 10. he makes this petition That ye might walke worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitfull in every good worke and encreasing in the knowledge of God Hiâ— desire was that the Colossians should live up to Jesus Christ and walke worthy of the Lord. Walking is an act of life and this hee knew was out of themselves and not in any of their externall priviledges or advantages whatsoever therefore he seconds it with this petition That ye might be strengthned with all might according to his glorious power The Apostle here speaks his experience for in another place he doth acknowledg that he did all things through Christ that strengthned him And he prayes here
Lord Jesus If we make duties our object 't is too low they are not our life but the fruits of life A man doth not live because he acts but he acts because he lives The Apostle desires to know nothing but Christ and him crucified and plainly speaks this not to be found in his owne righteousnesse but in Christs Ephes 2.8 9 10. For by grace are yee saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God Not of workes least any man should boast for wee are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good workes which God hath before ordained that we should walke in them Marke it here is workes as the fruits of our life and interest in Christ and the reason is given in the first words namely the great design of God for his own glory that all may spring from grace Now this is our interest in Christ and the life and sweet of all this will fill our soules when in the Spirit we looke on Christ as our life This may invite every soule to cast it selfe on Christ as its life and rest on him Let the soule that is the worst of sinners in its owne eye remember this it is of grace that we are saved and Christ is the great gift of Gods free-grace The Prodigall when hee said there was bread enough in his Fathers house doubtlesse eyed Christ There is in Gods eye price enough blood enough righteousnesse pure enough which makes life full enough for Christ is all this Rom. 8.33 34. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect It is God that justifies Who is be that condemneth it is Christ that dyed yea rather that is risen againe who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us The Apostle here makes a challenge but he doth it upon a sure gound namely God justifying a soule through its interest with Christ in his death resurrection and intercession This treasure is laid up in God for thee poore soule that sayest thou hast no worthinesse of thy owne It is the will of God that the ends of the earth should looke up to Christ so that those might have milke and honey freely which have no price nor no money of their owne Poore soule I will give thee one Text to live upon for ever Ephes 2.4 5. But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickened us together with Christ By grace yee are saved Make thy condition worse then this if thou canst to be dead in sins And then know this God is rich in mercie his love is exceeding great it exceeds the greatnesse of thy sins This love is so great that it can take soules dead in sins and quicken them together with Christ and if you will know the reason of all this it is by grace that we are saved What canst thou say now poore doubting soule All life is without thy selfe it is by grace that thou art saved If thou canst not see thy selfe worthy why yet see God is gracious It is not Gods designe to looke out worthy soules but to take unworthy soules and magnifie his grace on them It will be no presumption but faith and obedience to rest on Christ to such an end as to magnifie the free-grace of God when wee rest on Christ as our life wee doe as much as in us lies justifie and magnifie that free-grace which gave Christ to be our life And on the contrary when wee will not rest on Christ wholly as our life till wee have wrought up some qualifications in our selves we deny this gift of God and our like to be from free-grace The Text speaks plainly it is of grace that we are saved Oh let God have the glory of his grace for the life of our soules lies in it there is no other way to enjoy interest in Christ but to lay hands on him as the gift of grace and it appeares that a Christ-lesse soule is a dead soule Is it better to be dead soules then to have life meerely from grace If not oh then honour grace let Christ be our life though we are wholly dead in our selves yet cast thy selfe upon Christ as the gift of Gods free-grace for thy life But in the last place If Christ be only a Saints life and a Saint enjoyes this as he lives upon Christ in the Spirit Then let this teach us always at the throne of grace to be pleading the promise of the Father the Son to powr out the holy Spirit upon us and not rest satisfied without the Spirit in any or in all externals not in a bare literall knowledg no nor a Christ only in the flesh but only to know God and Christ and to live on them in the Spirit To know truths as they are in Jesus is to know them in the Spirit of Jesus and this is our Saviours owne promise John 14.26 That when the Comforter which is the holy Ghost comes he shall teach you all things We are therefore seeking something below Christ and so apt to deifie a form because we know so little of Christ in the Spirit In John 7.38 39. There is a glorious promise of the full powrings forth of the Spirit upon believers He that believes on me as the Scripture hath said out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water But this spake hee of the Spirit which they that believe on him should receive I know nothing but this promise is the interest of all believers it is worth the pleading at the throne of grace The Apostle Rom. 8. tels us what use Saints make of the Spirit They walke by it above the flesh he cals it the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus which hath made us free from the law of sinne and death this is the spirit that dwels in a Saint and shall raise him up at the last day In the 11. verse this Spirit is Gospel-administration Saints interest under the Gospel thus Saints worship God in the Spirit John 4.23 But the houre commeth and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth A Saint is wholly carried up to Christ his life by the Spirit and all the acts of his life is the workings of the Spirit in him Gal. 5.5.16 17 18. There the soule waites for the righteousnesse of Christ by faith through the Spirit and when he comes to walke in God and to live up his interest in Christ it is all through the Spirit and it is only through the Spirit of God in them that dead creatures are made living Ordinances The institution is doe this in remembrance of me Now it is the Spirit which gives an ordinance to this life Our Saviour tels us in John 6.63 The flesh profiteth nothing nor the word it is the Spirit that quickens and makes alive The reason is cleare God
in the spirit Now the freedome the Lord Christ hath made for the soules of believers from this law of Creation under the Covenant of workes It is double Namely from the condemning power the ruling or reigning power of the law in the conscience Of the first of these there is the least scruple and not being so fully within that I desire to hold to I shall wave it and keep only to the latter Namely how Christ hath freed the. Believer in his conscience from the ruling or reigning power of the law of creation in the letter only For light in this consider the 4th verse of Rom. 8. and so forward taking in the latter part of the 3. verse it wil appeare to be the designe of God in sending Christ in the the flesh that Christ in the Spirit might rule in the soules and spirits of his people God sending his Sonne in the likenesse of sinfull flesh that the righteousnesse of the law might be fulfilled in us who walke not after the flesh but after the spirit That is to walke after the rule which is not the flesh but the Spirit and so goes on to shew the difference betweenâ— flesh and spirite making it all along a part of our redemption in Christ to live in the Spirit making the Spirit our light and our life our rule and our strength In Rom. 8.14 There the Apostle speaks plainly and makes it a demonstration of our sonne ship to be ruled by the Spirit For as many as are ledde by the Spirit of God they are the sonnes of God Hee speakes in verse 16. following of the seale of the Spirit But here he speaks distinctly of the ruling power of the Spirit that hath power of a man to lead the man as it pleaseth and that is the terme here sonnes of God led by the Spirit of God that this Spirit is sufficient to rule the consciences of believers wee may plainly see in Rom. 6.14 Sinne shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the law but under grace I know not what can be more plaine then this here is a promise sinne shall not have dominion over us And the reason given is that part of the redemption of Christ to the soule of a believer from the ruling power of the law to the ruling power of the spirit of grace Marke the inference therefore sinne shall not have dominion over you because sinne shall not find you under the ruling power of the law in your conscience which affords no stâ—ength against it but sinne shall finde you under the law of the spirit of grace which is in Christ the law of life to the soule and death to sinne therefore sinne and death shall be swallowed up of victory in you by the spirit of Christ as it was for you in the death of Christ Sinne hath its repulse in the soule from the change of the law that rules the law of sinne and death turned into the law of spirit and life I can doe all things through Christ that strengthens me saith the Apostle I am not delivered from the dominion of sinne because I have the light of the law of creation to discover sinâ— but I am under the law of the spirit of life and grace not only to discover but to destroy sinne Sin hath not dominion because that which opposes it is Christ not I. Thus I have endeavoured to let you understand that light God hath given mse in this part of the redemption of his blood for his Sonne to deliver us from the ruling power of any law in our consciences but the law of love in the spirit of life But that I may be rightly understood I desire you to remember a clause that I laid down in the beginning where I endeavored to open these verses the clause is this That the Believer in the blood and spirit of Christ hath a perfect freedome from the law so farre as it is freedome to be delivered I laid it so downe that I might have here roome to distinguish betweene the ruling power of the law and the matter and substance of the law In the first sense the ruling power of the Law I doe really believe from what hath beene delivered already and some further reasons that I shall discover That the conscience of a believer is by the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus made free from the law of sinne and death But for the second part the matter or substance of the law which I take to be the whole revealed will of God and is in its utmost power and purity written in the heart of every believer Not only the whole revealed will of God in his word made flesh and dwelling among us but made Spirit and dwelling in us Thus to give you a little light I shall be more full in what followes give me leave to adde some further reasons to prove the former thing As first If the law in the letter be the rule in the conscience of a Believer then Moses not Christ must be the King for sayes the Text Moses was faithfull in his house as a servant but Christ as the sonne Moses may rule till Christ comes but as Christ had none to help him in the work of redemption no more will he in the work of ruling Secondly If Moses be to rule where Christ hath redeemed where is the making good of Gods Covenant to write his law in our hearts what benefit in the promise of the comforter that spirit of truth to lead into all truth Thirdly If the law rule and Moses be King the strength must be in our selves to obey for neither Moses nor the law in the letter can give any strength If either could Christ hath dyed in vaine and if strength be in our selves then Gods designe in sending Christ is lost which is to justifie his people freely by his grace so as there may be no roome for flesh to boast in not the law of works but the law of faith to be pleaded as appears in that third chapter to the Romans Lastly If the Law be to rule in the spirits of Gods people then obedience to that law must quiet satisfie the hearts of Gods people Now as the Apostle in Gal. 3.2 This only would I learne of you Received yee the Spirit by the workes of the law or by the hearing of faith So say I and appeale to the consciences and experience of every Saint that tasts the joyes of life in God received it you by the the workes of the Law or in the seale and workings of the spirit of life in which you are freed from the law of sinne and death So I shall come to that second part the matter and substance of the law Under this comprehend the whole revealed will of God in his word but to distinguish betweene that part of Gods word more distinctly known by the ten commandements from any other part of the revealed will
of God in his word but to the eye of a believer beholding God and every part of his revealed will in Christ all is alike In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God That was spoken of Christ now the Believer alwayes beholding God in Christ which is his originall word and the Scripture only Christ written out in the Spirit doth behold God in his originall and in his written word in every part of it one so that every part is of like beauty and pretiousnesse to the soule of a believer Having opened my selfe thus farre I shall doe it farther and declare that to have any hope left to live as sinfull nature pleases casting the revealed word of God behind their backs and under a notion of redemption to deny the Redeemer to talk of free-grace and to trample grace under foote to deny the Lord that bought them in walking as doe others that know not Christ This is so far from entring into my thoughts from that freedome I have pleaded for all this time that if I should name this and call it darknesse I should call it Aegyptian darkenesse so farre from freedome that it is bondage beyond expression The second of the Ephesians sets it out best in these termes The power of the Prince of the Aire ruling in the children of disobedience But that freedome I plead for is the power of the Lord of glory ruling by his Spirit in his children of light and life My aime is not to take away that holy just and good law of God out of the conscience of a believer but as God doth with his people in the new Covenant and in Christ the mediator of it establish them in a better covenant Heb. 8. upon better promises so would I only hold out the matter of the law taken out of the hand of Moses which was but a servant and established in the heart of Christ which is the Son and by the Son in the spirit of light and life written in the heart and conversation of every believing soule And lesse then this I thinke is not in the covenant of the Almighty when he convenants to put his law in our inward parts and to write it in our hearts For my authority in this I shall say as the Apostle Paul in the 3d of Rom. the last vers when in the greatest part of the chapter he hath pleaded this very cause that I doe he concludes in these words Doe we then make void the law through faith God forbid Yea we establish the law So that it is cleare the law of life that makes us free from the law of sin and death which is Christ living by his Spirit in the conscience is not to make void but to establish upon better promises from a law of death to be a law of life Thus much in generall But more particularly I lay downe this as my light that the law is now in the Spirit in the Gospel for a believer to walk by the law is made Gospel as Christ is made flesh the Gospel is both a perfect law of life and righteousnesse of grace and truth why should we separate that which God hath in his free-grace joyned together namely Law and Gospel in one under the government that is given to the childe Jesus Nor is the holinesse or sanctification that God lookes for in his believing Saints such as is falsehood by the law or outward command but by the preaching of faith by which the spirit is given which renewes and sanctifies a Believer and makes him the very law of Commandements in himselfe and his heart the very two Tables of Moses And though the law be a beame of Christ in substance and matter yet we are not to live by the light of one beame now when the Son of righteousnesse is risen himselfe that was a fitter light for those who lived in the regions of the shadow of death it is with the law now or light of righteousnesse as it was with the light in the creation when that which was scattered was gathered into one body of light So Christ now being revealed holinesse and righteousnesse as well as grace and love is revealed in him and and gathered up in him The word is now flesh and dwels amongst us and we behold his glory as the glory of the only begotten sonne full of truth as well as grace is in substance by the Spirit set downe 2 Cor. 3.16 17 18. verses There is the vaile taken away in turning to the Lord. There is Christ held forth to be the Spirit and the spirit of liberty to his people but observe the fruits of this liberty it is from sinne not to sinne but we all with open face beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord or of the Lord the spirit so it is in the margine Thus is Christ that Sunne to us which warmes us in the very shining upon us the Believer works walks and lives under the Gospel as beholding his perfect redemption wrought in Christ and so brings forth the power of this redemption and salvation through the spirit of Adoption freely working to the praise of his free-grace and freely obeying from the life of this redemption doing every thing in love because of his love shed abroad in our hearts and neither taking in judgements hell or damnation nay not heaven or glory to force on the worke or quicken the duty but doing all from the spirit of life in Christ Jesus except when corruption or temptation hindereth the freenesse and spiritualnesse in the duty A Spirit at this pitch is Christ and his beloved both met in his garden of spices and by feeding on the honey in the honey-combe Christ fils the soule with himselfe and delights himselfe in that fulnesse that is himselfe So the soule in communion with Christ in the Spirit sees it selfe compleat in Christ so joyes in its Masters joy alwayes satisfying it selfe in that love that is Christ himselfe and is able to trumpet out its glory to the world My beloved is mine and I am his This is Christ and his office branches setting about God alwayes feeding on the banquet of love and fitting under the benner of love God beholding every elect soule in Christ the soule beholds God in Christ and Christ beholds himselfe and all his in God and this vision in one spirit swallowes up all into one God beholds every elect soule as Christ Christ beholds every branch in him as of him beholding us in that glory we shall have with him when he appeares in his fulnesse of glory and the believing soule in the Spirit beholding its justification sanctification and redemption and Christ one in eternall love the soule is in this light transformed into this love that is God himselfe so sees nothing of God but what is all God such a soule knowes no divided Christ
for us we are free from all wrath and condemnation And thus are we freed and delivered from a first part of the state of nature the wrath of God Christ satisfies God justifies as the Apostle expresseth it in Rom. 8. latter end Who shall condemn sayes he Christ hath dyed and is risen and God justifies So that there he makes a challenge Who shall condemne He saw this his compleatnesse in Christ and glories in it The second thing in a state of nature is vassalage to Sathan to which in opposition I proposed our sanctification by Christ as a second part of our compleatnesse in him For proofe of this take that known place where the holy Ghost sayes Christ is made unto us wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption where Christ is made by God our satisfaction he is filled for us and we filled of his fulnesse as that oyntment which fell from Aarons head down to the skirts of his garment so doth the spirit of God descend from Christ to us dwelling plentifully in us and so becomes our sanctification As in that 14th of John's Gospel The Spirit shall lead into all truth not only discover truth but lead into truth So the 6th and 7th verses of Coloss 2. rooted built up and walking in Christ The Apostle in another place acknowledging his owne insufficiency to any good worke yet sayes he through Christ that strengthens me I can doe all things Coloss 1.10 11. There is fruitfulness in every good work as we are strengthned according to the mighty power of Christ Christ the Vine and we the branches a Saint bears fruit as he is in Christ Without me you can doe nothing sayes Christ A Saint hath life to live up to the will of God only as hee lyes in the bosome of Christ and suckes life from him as being one with Christ so as the branches doe from the Vine Col. 3.3 A dead man cannot walk no more can any man out of Christ walke in the wayes of God but the Saints life is hid with Christ in God and therefore sayes the Apostle It is not I that live but Christ in mee I might abundantly enlarge in this but I forbeare for I well know that the Spirit of God in our soules is more then ten thousand witnesses besides Thus is Christ the Saints compleatnesse in point of sanctification the which I hold out in opposition to that vassalage that a natural man lyes in under Sathan The third thing that makes up the naturall mans bondage is be is dead in sins and trespasses To which I hold forth as our compleatnesse in Christ the Saints life and that a life of glory to prove this looke into Col. 3.4 there is Christ held out plainly as our life saith the Text at his appearing we shall appeare with him in glory There is life in Christ and glory in Christ Christ our life and his glory our glory which agrees with that of our Saviour because I live you shall live also and where I am you shall be As if the Lord had said my beloved Saints you are as safe as I am our lives and our glory bound up in one I laid downe my life to take up yours and now I have laid up your life as sure as my owne both in my father and your fathers bosome I in the Father and you in me My love my faire one my undefiled you are where I am this truth sealed on Pauls spirit by the spirit of Christ made him triumph in this glorious inheritance and trample upon all glory below it 2 Cor. 5.1 He knew his interest in an eternall house a building of God in heaven and in another place the same Apostle Hence forth is laid up for me a more exceeding and eternall weight of glory Rom. 8.30 There is all these three branches proved and this glory in the end of all but it selfe without end etarnall glory This point needeth no more proofe it is so cleare a truth both in word and spirit proving this I conceive the other is proved also That as a Saint is in Christ so he stands compleate before God I shall now give you some reasons of that which is gone before First were there any compleatnesse for a believing soule but in Christ and not a full compleatnes for a believing soul in Christ then God could not be a just God which is blasphemy to imagine for God having made Christ to beare our sins and wounded him that we might be healed this being the decree of God if there were any redemption but in Christ God could not be just to Christ And Secondly if in his bloud there were not a full Râ—demption God could not be just either to Christ that suffered or us for whome he suffered I come to doe thy will O Father saith Christ Now Christ having performed every tittle of his Fathers will God in justice must make all redemption to come through him and to be to us a compleate redemption A Third Reason If it were not thus then grace were not free-grace nor full grace If there be any compleatnesse out of Christ then it must be our own than grace is not free-grace and if that we have in Christ be not compleat and doth not make us compleat before God then Grace is not full now truly a hard thought of God in either of these must run against the whole current of the word of God and the experience of the Saints In the Spirit Saints may improve these truths by way of direction if God by his Spirit shew us our owne naturall deformity O then flie to Gods owne treasury for perfection and compleatnesse Namely to Christ In whom is all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily and to this very end that Saints might be compleat in him it is Satan's light that leads us to our duties for compleatnesse for the Holy Chost leaves it upon record that compleatnesse is only in Christ and surely if that lead the soule it shall be led to Christ for compleatnesse Did we believe this Scripture we must needes believe in Gods compleatnesse namely Jesus Christ The Apostle deâ—â—res to know nothing but Christ and him crucified for he saw compleatnesse in him never to want compleatnesse in the eyes of God is to goe to him in that compleatnesse that is God Namely Christ for he is our compleatnesse as the fulnesse of the God-head is in him Secondly having pirched on Christ for our compleatnesse let us beleeve strongly be established fully in him not doubting in the least for our compleatnesse is a compleat God God makes us compleat in himselfe God must be displeased with his owne peâ—â—â—â—tion if with a Saint in Christ for a Saints perfection is Christ and Christ is the sulnesse of the God-head If we summon in Satan Law Divine justice Conscience remainder of the old Adam within us and what ever can be thought on yet here is a full answer to all Christ is ascended into Heaven
is that state in which God loves a soul though it lyes in its blood so as no eye but Gods can pitty it and is not this free-grace then Let us consult with the covenant of grace and see if it be not free-grace Jer. 31.31 32 33 34. The engagements in it are from God and thereupon God freely engages himself to make a man eternally happy in his love God engages himselfe to be our God and we shall be his people that hee will forgive our iniquities and that he will remember our sins no more and that he will put his law in our hearts and write it in our inward parts What soule can discern this in the Spirit but he must acknowledge God in the riches of his free-grace In Heb. 7.19 The holy Ghost speaks plainly that the law makes nothing perfect but the bringing of a better hope As if he had said it is free-grace not the deeds of the law that perfects any soule That soul which is compleat before God it must be in him namely Christ And sayes another Text If the Sonne hath made you free you are free indeed which implies there is no freedome or compleatnesse but in Christ Now Christ sayes the Text is the redemption of the free-grace of God and that the Apostle knew full well when he desired to know nothing but Christ and him crucified In Rom. 8. The Apostle glories in the free-grace of God It is God that justifies sayes he and Christ that hath dyed Who shall condemn As if he had said free-grace hath magnified it selfe to me in which I am safe so that none can condemn and in this I glory And the same Apostle in Rom. 5.2 makes mention of the accesse that Saints have by faith into the grace wherein they stand If we look into the 53d. of Isa we shall there finde particulars of much of that grace of God under which wee are namely the sufferings of Christ for us The Text sayes plainly He bore our griefes and carryed our sorrowes and he was wounded for our transgressions bruised for our iniquities and the chastisement of our peace was upon him and it is by his stripes that we are healed and his soule was made an offering for our sins and that God beheld the travell of his soule and was satisfied This is a state of grace indeed for if wee compare this with 2 Cor. 5. the last we shall see there a plaine discovery of the design of Gods free-grace says the Text he was made sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him The Lord which had no sinne of his owne had never been made sinne nor had he born sin with all the punishments due to them but for this end and designe of God namely that fallen sinners in the first Adam might be his righteousness in the second Adam the Lord Christ Now surely this is a state of grace to be the righteousnesse of God in Christ Rom. 10.4 The Apostle tels us Christ is the end of the law for righteousnesse to every one that believeth And this salvation is of the free-grace of God wee have this righteousnesse freely of his grace Gal. 2.16 By the workes of the law shall no man be justified Gal. 3.10 For as many as are of the workes of the law are under the curse But in vers 13. of that Chapter Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us In short this is the state of grace Christ made ours and we his he made sinne for us and bearing all punishment due to sin for us satisfied Gods justice and made a redemption to a perfect state of innocency in him Thus Christ hath taken all that is ours and given us all that is his his blood to cleanse us his righteousnesse to perfect us in the sight of God his Spirit to guide us to lead us into all truth and to doe all our works in us Gal. 5.16 17 18. and at last to resign us up to his Father to enjoy fulnesse of glory with him to all eternity Now reade all this backeward and forward and behold the heights the breadths the depths and lengths of it and then you will find it all the free-grace of God and sure I am every soule which in the Spirit comes to know and behold himselfe thus fully justified will give God the glory and acknowledge it to be freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ This gives all to know that Gods way in justifying of his people is through Christ the great gift of his free-grace not of workes sayes the Text no not from good meanings or from good doinge all good in a Saint arises from his one-nesse with Christ in whom both persons and duties are justified by the free-grace of God It is not our externals makes our beauty in the sight of God not our getting into fellowship with the Saints and enjoying Ordinances and priviledges with them but our fellowship with Christ I in you and you in me saith Christ And the Spouse my beloved is mine and I am his I herein lyes the glory and the interest of a justified one Christ sayes to his Come yee blessed of my Father and the Father sayes yee are compleat in him Here is God making a soul from all eternity one with Christ and pronouncing him for ever justified in the blood and righteousnesse of Christ Oh then when you have but a thought of standing justified before God lay downe all but Christ If you have an eye to duties looke on them as the fruits of Christ in you by whom you are justified of the free-grace of God you may looke on duties as the fruits of your Justification but none but Christ as the roote and foundation of it Secondly It should beget admiration in considering Gods giving freely such eternall love and lovelinesse to his elect Saints though by nature they hated him Let us aske our soule in the truth of that word which tels us God loved us before we loved him and that he chose us we did not choose him what struglings hath our natures made against his love shed abroad in our hearts Oh then what vild hearts had we before he dropped love into them yet to us God doth not only drop drops of love but hee gives us all his love and to witnesse it he gives Christ the sonne of his loue which knew no sinne to be made sinne for us that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him the perfection of righteousnesse Oh here is love making lovelinesse here is Christ given to a soule which is infinite love and being found in his righteousnesse is made perfect lovely without spot or wrinkle sayes the Text compleate in him Can we consider this and not admire it wee can as men admire that we can give no reason for Oh then let us admire this love of God which surpasses all our
for the good of others and therefore lookes on it as his duty and that he is obliged by the law of Christ shed abroad in his heart to become all things lawfull to all men that hee may gaine some Againing and not a destroying worke is in his eye and this makes him indeed and in truth to lye low at the feete of the weakest Saint and this he doth from a spirituall consideration how that he stands justified to all eternity by the free-grace of God through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ for wee are justified freely by the grace of God through Jesus Christ CHAP. IX Christ and the new Creature are unseparable 2 Cor. 5. former part of vers 17. Therefore if any man be in Christ hee is a new creature THE Apostle doth in this Scripture as in all other like a good and faithfull servant make it his whole businesse and design to advance his Masters glory the Lord Jesus Christ A new creature is the most glorious object that the world affords and the Apostles care is to hold that forth in all its glory namely in Christ A creature in Christ is a new creature indeed and a new creature is in Christ indeed As if the Apostle had said there is not any man who is in Christ what ever he was before but by vertue of that union he is made a new creature though before a wilde Olive yet so soone as ingrafted into Christ the tree of life hee brings forth good fruit As you cannot gather grapes from thornes nor figs of thistles no more can the members of Christ be barren or bring forth briers or thistles in stead of the fruits of the Spirit which is love joy c. Christ is the Saints fountaine that is united to him out of whom can flow no bitter water Hee that is borne of God sins not so far as the new birth is in him though there be a law in the members in the flesh of Saints which serves the law of sin yet with the law of their mindes they serve the will of God so that you shall finde Saints in this frame complaining of selfe and admiring of God condemning of self and justifying of God the remainder of the old man in me that is my selfe my flesh saith a Saint but the new creature that is Christ in me the hope of glory that is the King of glory come into my soule and displaying the glory of his presence there that is Christ in me and I in Christ in whome I am made a new creature therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature and if any man be a new creature it is Christ in him That there may appeare Method in what followeth take this one generall Observation Namely That being in Christ and the new creature are inseperable they alway gee together If in Christ then a new creature and if a new creature then in Christ as it is impossible to be a new creature before united to Christ so it is as impossible to be truly in Christ and not to be a new creature as those dead bones could not live before God had united them covered them with skin and breathed life into them For testimony to this truth take in the Apostle Paul in Rom. 8.10 And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin but the spirit is life because of righteousnesse He gives us this truth as it were upon his experience as if he had said I have found this that ever since I have bin in union with Christ the body of sin hath bin a dying the spirit of life hath carried me forth to the fruits of righteousnesse I am dead now to the commands of sin and flesh by which I have formerly binned captive and am made alive in my spirit to the workes of righteousnesse and if you aske me a reason of this it is Christ in me And iâ— Christ be in you it will be so with you too your bodies will be dead to the commands of sin and your spirits alive in the fruits of righteousnesse you will finde Christ a living Christ the second man from heaven heavenly and as a living Christ so hee makes life where ever he comes and the life he brings is heavenly Christ makes the new creature therefore can never be without the new creature What hath its being from Christ cannot be without Christ Now the new creature hath its being from Christ it could not be but in Christ and by Christ so that it must needs follow it is alwayes with Christ where Christ is there is the new creature indeed the new creature is nothing else but Christ possessing himselfe of a soule living in it and reigning over it by his spirit as Satan doth in the meere naturall man A Saint he dies with Christ and he lives with Christ Christ dies for him and lives in him and wee shall finde the Apostle Paul in Gal. 2.20 making this confession and acknowledgment I am crucified with Christ neverthelesse I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me He doth acknowledge himselfe to be dead crucified to himselfe in the death of Christ and then laies hold of another life but it is out of selfe by faith in Christ this is my very life now whilst I am in the flesh saith he and truly this my life is Christ in me it is not I but Christ that lives in me that faith which is in me is not selfe but Christ as if he had said my life is a new life and that life is the new creature and that new creature is Christ in me I am that Temple which you see Christ lives in but Christ is the life of that Temple Without me saith Christ you can doe nothing True Lord saith Paul but through thy strength I can doe all things as if Christ had said you cannot be new creatures till you be in me and I in you I finde that true saith Paul for in me that is in my flesh there is no good But I have also experimented this truth if once in thee I can be no longer an old creature as he tells us in Gal. 1.15 16. So soone as ever God had called me by his grace to reveale his sonne in me that I might preach him among the heathens immediately I obeyed and did not stand to confer with flesh and blood Not to see by his old eyes nor to act upon his old principles flesh and blood must no longer teach and lead Paul when God had called him by his grace and revealed Christ to him as if Paul should say I am now united to the Lord Jesus and I cannot but be a new creature the Kingdome of God is within me and it will burst out it is like new wine in old bottles as my flesh was
not able to act the new creature without Christ no more is it able to conceale the new creature now Christ is borne in me I am now led by the Spirit and I walke in the Spirit and the fruits of the Spirit is love joy peace c. And such are they that are in Christ for they have crucified the flesh with the lusts thereof That is Christ in them hath crucified the flesh and they are dead to it so that their life is in the spirit and they both live and walk in the spirit because Christ lives in them and they live and act meerly from Christ Saints in Christ are branches in the Vine And if Christ be the root then holinesse will be the fruit for no other fruit can grow from that roote The demonstration of this truth may be found in the particulars following the first demonstration is this That it is Gods designe from eternity that such as are united to Christ should be made new creatures in Christ that Christ should worke holinesse in Saints and that Saints should worke holily as created unto holinesse in Christ For proofe to this take that full place of Scripture in Ephe. 2.10 For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good workes which God hath before ordained that we should walke in them In the foregoing verses he tells us that we are saved meerly of grace and though God makes faith the hand to lay hold upon this free-grace of his in Christ yet that faith is the free gift of God as well as Christ which faith layes hold on so wrappes up all salvation in free-grace and in verse 9. excludes workes wholely upon that account But now least the wicked naturall heart of man should conclude thus my salvation is onely upon free-grace good workes addes nothing to it therefore as my salvation is left to Christ so my conversation is left to my self If I beleeve in Christ for to be saved I may live as I list I say to answer this in full arguing of our naturall hearts the Holy Ghost tells us that though holinesse and good workes are not under the account of jstuification yet that the conversation of Saints in truth is as purely out of their owne hands as their just fication is for saith the Text Wee are his workmanship that is Gods created in Christ Jesus unto good workes which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them The holy Ghost speakes methinkes very fully to this truth in this place that it is ordained and decreed by God from all eternity that such as are saved by Christ should be sanctified in Christ as it was the designe of God from all eternity to save soules meerly of his grace through Christ so is it the same designe of God to sanctifie every soul whom he saves through Christ now this is the decree of God that if any man be in Christ and Christ be his justification that Christ shall be in him and his sanctification so that if any man be in Christ he is a new creature for the one is as fully the design desire of the free grace of God as the other holiness it is the worke of God committed as I may say to the hands of Christ The same Apostle tels us That Christ is made to us of God wisdome righteousnesse sanctification redemption And God carries on this decree of his when he calls a soule to lye in his bosome and to have communion with himselfe through the Lord Christ The Apostle makes it an argument in 1 Thes 4.7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanenesse but unto holinesse His businesse in the fore-going verses is to exhort them to holinesse and to avoid the lusts and concupiscence of the Gentiles which saith he knew not God and makes this the argument to his exhortation for God hath called us to holinesse God hath united us to Christ and in that union he hath decreed that we shall be sanctified as well as saved so that to me this is a full demonstration that if any man be truly in Christ he is a new creature for this is the decree of God from all eternity and shall abide to all eternity A second demonstration of this truth may be this That the teachings of Christ in those that are truly taught by him is to put off the olde man which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lusts of the flesh and to put on the new man which is to be renewed in the spirit of their minds after the image of God in righteousnesse and true holinesse The proofe of this doth appeare in Ephes 4.20 21 22 23 24. But you have not so learned Christ If so be that you have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus That yee put off concerning the former conversation the olde man which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lusts of the flesh and be renewed in the spirit of your minds and that you put on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse By this Scripture it appeares that such soules as have learned Christ and truths as they are in Jesus they are thereby renewed in the spirit of their mindes so as that the olde man which is after the flesh is put off and the new man put on which is after God created in righteousnesse and true holinesse Christ teacheth with power and his teachings make a change from flesh to spirit and from the carnall conversation of the old man to the image of God in the Spirit according to righteousnesse and holinesse Christ he renewes the mind and the conversation when hee teacheth his teachings reacheth the internals the roote receives life from him so that the fruit is the image of God in righteousnesse and true holinesse not a bare form all professed holinesse but a true holinesse that is holinesse in truth which is in Christ the truth it selfe so that the demonstration is full Christ and the new creature alwayes goe together but as if the Apostle had said there may be many formall carnall wretches that may professe Christ and lay claime to him but this is a standing truth they have not been taught truths as they are in Jesus and for their formality and carnality they have that from the old man what ever they professe of Christ for sure I am they have not so learned Christ his teachings are spirituall and his renewings are in the minde which makes the image of God in righteousnesse and true holinesse in the conversation not only a naked professed holinesse for if Christ then the new creature A third Demonstration may be this That God is light and in him is no darkenesse so that whoever hath fellowship with God and Christ walketh in the light as God is light for proof of this take a Scripture or two 1 John 1.5 6. This is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you
that God is light in him is no darkenesse at all If we say that wee have fellowship with him and walke in darkenesse we lye and know not the truth This is the message which the holy Ghost brings that God is infinitely light and purity in himselfe and if any man have union with him he walkes in the light and if he walke in the darke and professe union with God and and Christ hee lyeth and the truth is not in him Now by light and darkenesse often in Scripture-language is meant the olde and the new man the regenerate and the unregenerate man As in that Scripture The night is farre spent the day is at hand walke as children of the day or children of the light Children of the Gospel such as Christ by his Spirit hath taken possession of this Gospel-light the Spirit of God teaching it teacheth to deny all ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world God is this light in himselfe and he makes this light where ever he dwels that soule which truly hath God hath this light and that soule which acts from God acts from this light Now sayes the holy Ghost it is a lye for you to say you live in God and God in you and yet walke carnally as doe others Sayes God in the Psalmes I am not such a one as thy selfe Where there is union betweene God and a soule God is not brought over to the soule but the soule to God If any soul owneth union with me sayes God know that I am light and in me is no darkenesse so as I overcome the darknesse of dark souls which have fellowship with me by my light I finde all soules in darknesse but I keepe no soule in darknesse I finde every sinner in his blood but I purge as well as pardon It is true regeneration is not in every soule alike for measure and degree but God leaves no soule as he finds it his light is alwayes expelling darkenesse the olde man dyeth daily and so is the new man renewed Christ that stronger man so soon as ever he possesseth a soule sets upon that worke of casting out the strong man of sinne and as he told Paul so he tels and makes it good to every Saint my grace shall be sufficient for you sinne shall not reigne in your mortall bodies Christs presence is manifested by his power where he lives sinne must dye so that sinne Sathan and the soule shall know it You shall know saith Christ if you be in me I will make you new creatures It shall be your meate and drinke to doe my will as it was mine to doe my Fathers and my commands shall be sweete to you as the honey and the honey-comb my yoke shall be easie and my burthen light to you 1 John 2.29 If you know that he is righteous you know that every one that doth righteousnesse is borne of him This is the effects of union with God and Christ God in Christ to doe righteousnesse that is to walke in the light as hee is light to walk by his light the light of his Spirit which doth both teach and lead Saints into all the will worke and wayes of God So that this Demonstration doth farther cleare the truth that who ever are in Christ they are new creatures Christ and the new creature are inseparable they alwayes goe together A fourth Demonstration may be this That such as are truly Saints in union with Christ they have all their life from him their buddings forth is from the sap which they receive from the Lord Christ we may receive truth from our Saviour himselfe in John 15.5 I am the vine yee are the branches he that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit for without mee you can doe nothing Now if this be truth which none but the spirit of untruth can deny then I argue thus from hence That if Saints be in union with Christ as the branches are in the Vine and have all their sap and life from Christ then the life and actions of life in Saints must all beare the image of Christ in nature like begets like that which is begotten is like that which doth beget as we see in the bringing forth of all creatures so is it with the new creature Christ he begets it and the begotten is Christ so that the new creature is Christ in the soule as that Text. Know you not that Christ is in you except you be reprobates And yee are the temple of the holy Ghost And if this be granted we that Christ begets after his owne image then none with colour of reason can deny that who ever is in Christ is a new creature for who ever is in Christ is as the branch in the Vine He is not his own but the rootes his life and his fruit is not his owne but the rootes for if the branch be separate from the root it hath neither life nor fruit well then if in union with Christ we are not our own but Christs and our fruit not our owne but the fruit of Christ then tell mee how can any man be in Christ and not a new creature is Christ a dead Christ in any soule No he is not only a living Christ in every soule uâ—iâ—ed to him but he is the life and putteth forth all the effects of life in such soules then if Christ be all that all must be Christ and whoever is in Christ they are new creatures so that Christ and the new creature is unseparable Take this 5th and last Demonstration That where ever Christ is he is chiefe in command Lord Paramount he rules and governs what ever soule he lives in Now the Scepter of Christ is a Scepter of holinesse righteousnesse where Christ is King his love makes lawes and his Spirit gives light and life Christ subjects they are a willing people in the day of his power The powrings forth of his Spirit makes his will their will so that to all his will they are a willing people then surely where the power of Christ over-powers any soule that soule acts by the power of Christ in him and must therefore act according to the will of Christ who gives the power and that will and work is the new creature in such a soul The power of Christ in soules is sutable to his owne walking on earth I come to doe thy will O Father sayes Christ so when he overpowers any soule the effect of his powerfull presence is to frame such a soul in obeysance to the will of God One Text tels us he that is borne of God sinnes not So much of the regenerate part that is in any man so much that man is above the committing of sinne and we find the Apostle Paul distinguishing between a law in his members and a law in his minde and he thankes God through Jesus Christ that with the minde he served
the law of God though with the flesh the law of sinne The Lord Christ he ruled and governed in the mind of Paul and he doth acknowledge it for he thankes God through Jesus Christ he served the law of God with his minde and so beares witnesse to this truth that where Christ commands and governes there Gods law is obeyed And the same Apostle in the next chapter Rom. 8.2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death As if he had said I was in bondage under the law of sin in the condemning and the reigning power of it till Christ came to command in my soule by his Spirit and then I found deliverance so that now I can say It is not I but Christ that lives in mee The olde man the law of sinne was in command till Christ came but now we that were sometimes darkenesse are made light in the Lord and that light is the light of life and the love of Christ shed abroad in our hearts is both roote strength to a new life So the same Apostle I can doe all things through Christ that strengthens me Though the new creature be a worke too hard for my flesh yet it is not too hard for Christ in the Spirit Nay it is the certaine and the constant worke of the Lord Jesus to make the new creature Hee is made to us of God Sanctification as truly as Redemption so this is an undeniable truth That if any man be in Christ he is a new creature In this meditation there is much to informe us exceeding usefull for a christians knowledge As first it informes all of the holinesse and purity of God that though his grace call pitty and pardon the worst of sinners yet his purity will imbosome no soule but in Christ and in Christ he makes them new creatures The Lord Christ himselfe tels us in one Text That no man commeth to the Father but by him And this Text tels us That if any man be in Christ he is a new creature So that such souls as come and lye downe in the bosome of God come through Christ in whom they are made new creatures as God in himselfe is that perfection to whom there can be no addition so he is that perfect purity which cannot have communion with any impure thing God is that light which discovers all darkenesse and that fire which burneth up all drosse so that if filth approach his presence his light discovers it it cannot be hid from him all thoughts and things are alwayes naked before his presence and his fire consumes it for God out of Christ is a consuming fire truly he knows not God which saith in his heart that God and Belial may live together Our God is a God of glory and the glorious God he is not a God which hath eyes and seeth not eares and heareth not hands and handleth not exclude sinne and then there is nothing he is not he is the all of all the first the fountaine and the fulnesse of all but sinne so that God is so infinitely pure that he is all but what is impure hee is pure in the fountaine and the fountaine of purity Purity flowes only from God and that only returnes to God nothing but purity can dwell in God for God is pure And if thus then secondly this informes us of the riches of Gods free-grace which hath not only given us a justifying but also a sanctifying Jesus That Christ should not only deliver his Elect from the condemning power but also from the reigning power of sin not only deliver from the justice of God in satisfying Justice for them but so carrying them in his owne righteousnesse into the bosom of God where he biddeth them all eate my beloved feed abundantly and be satisfied A Saints life is bound up in God his blessednesse is to have communion with God Now considering the purity of God and the impurity of fallen man if free-grace had not made Christ our way and our Sanctification as our Redemption we could never have been blessed in communion with God If the bosome of God be a place of rest If the love of God be the foode of eternall life If that glory at Gods right hand be more exceeding and eternall weight of glory Oh then what riches is that riches of free-grace which hath given all this freely and Jesus Christ in whom wee have these and all the fulnesse of glory not only freely but full and that to all eternity If this be the fruit of grace then surely it must be rich glorious grace the fountaine must needs be precious the streames are so full of glory If we be saved sanctified and glorified meerely by grace then it must be rich grace that gives forth so richly to all eternity Thirdly this informes us of the sad and miserable condition of prophane carnal wretches the fruit of such lives tels us plainly that Christ is none of their roote The fruits of darknesse are discovered by the light but cannot be the proceeding or issue of the light The flesh hath workes as proper to it and floweth as naturally from it as any the Spirit hath And the Apostle Paul in Rom. 8.5 6 7 8. Ephes 5.8 9. Gal. 5.17 to the end doth discover both the rootes and the fruits of flesh and Spirit which are as clearely to be distinguished between as light and darknesse and is in no nearer union then the seede of the Serpent and the seede of the woman If any man be in Christ he is a new creature olde things are passed away behold all things are become new Truly this is but sad tidings for such poore soules that are yet old creatures not yet renewed in the spirit of their minds It speaks very loud and plainly to them that they are not yet united to Christ for were they in him he would soon make them new creatures The Apostle Paul in Ephes 4.17 18 19. speaking of the Gentiles Walking in the vanity of their minds having their understandings darkned being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance and blindnesse of their hearts who being past feeling had given themselves over unto all lasciviousnesse to worke all uncleannesse with greedinesse In vers 20. But ye have not so learned Christ As if hee had said such a life as that is the proper fruit of a naturall condition a man out of Christ for Christ he teacheth no such things but on the contrary as in verse 22 23 24. of that Chapter Christ he teacheth To put off concerning the former conversation the olde man which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lusts and to be renewed in the spirit of our minds and to put on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse It is sad indeed for poor soules to gather that which sinne and Sathan is the roote and to please it selfe
with that which is sweet only to the pallat but bitter in the belly and carries a curse with it where ever it goes Now this is the sad condition of Christlesse soules such poore wretches as have given over themselves to worke all uncleannesse with greedinesse these poor soules walke according to the course of the world and the power of the Prince of the Aire the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience fulfilling the lusts and the desires of the flesh Ephes 2.2 3. And if this be not a miserable condition I know not what can make up misery As it is the blessing of Heaven to live in Christ and Christ in us so it is the misery of Hell upon earth to be fulfilling lusts and the desires of the flesh in which the poore soule is ruled by the Prince of the aire led captive by Sathan at his will This is the sad condition of prophane carnall Christ-lesse soules such as are not new creatures For if any man be in Christ he is a new creature Fourthly This informes us of the desperate wickednesse and hypocrisie of those wretches which with their lips lay claime to Christ and free-grace and yet are not new creatures but make a profession of Christ to be a protection covering of the old man in them this is the growing and thriving sinne of these last and evill times which wee are fallen into If the single witnesse of the lip may be taken Christ had never more followers then in these our dayes but this is a truth so pretious and of so great a consequence that it well deserveth two witnesses I meane the life as well as the lip Our Saviour tels us at the time of his being upon earth of many belly and eye-followers that he had such as followed him for the loaves and to see the miracles that he did but for lip followers of Christ I believe our present age out-strips all that went before it and as the Lord Christ did discover the hypocrisie that was in the former so doe I verily believe he will this generall profession of him in our dayes God hath gone a great way in this worke already and I verily believe the earth-quake we are in will not cease till God have perfected this good work he hath begun men deceive themselves when they entitle their wickednesse to Christ he is too bright a glory to be vail'd over and too clear a light to be deceived by any darkenesse profession cannot dazell the eyes of perfection Christ is perfect and can discerne and discover the secret hypocrisie of the heart mans eyes may be deceived with a bare profession but when Christ is intitled to a lye as the God of truth he is engaged to discharge himselfe of those branches which are only in him by profession and so leave them to a withering state as being without the sap of life And that I think is the meaning of our Saviour in Joh. 15.2 Every branch in me meaning Christ that beareth not fruit he meaning God taketh away That is Christ hath many which profess him and bring not forth the fruit of union with him which is the new creature and them God to clear up his owne power and purity takes away as if the Lord had said the evill heart of man thinkes to hide the olde man of sinne under a profession of mee but if you looke into the fruits and lives of such men you will find them only branches in profession which in the fittest time for lifting up the power and purity of God God will take away and Christ will discharge himselfe of them The holy Ghost methinkes is very full to this purpose in 1 Cor. chap. 3. vers 11 12 13. For other foundation can no man lay then that is laid which is Christ Now if any man build on this foundation gold silver precious stone wood hay stubble Every mans workes shall be made manifest for the day shall declare it because it shall be revealed by fire and the fire shall try every mans worke of what sort it is Every man would be saved and there is no foundation which is or can be laid but Christ this is a generall rule Now upon the foundation some lay gold and precious stones others lay wood hay and stubble the former have Christ in truth the latter only in profession But Christ hee deales with all alike hee is resolved to make all manifest and therefore hee brings all to the fire by which gold appeares to bee gold silver to be silver and precious stones to bee such because they abide the fire And this fire makes wood hay and stubble to appeare to be such because the fire consumeth them If wee understand here by fire the fire of affliction and persecution why under that sence the truth will stand firme for such as have not learned truths as they are in Jesus will deny truths and Jesus too if affliction come Unfound profession is soone burnt up in the fire of persecution it is too hot a fire for wood hay or stubble to contend with Wood may last longer then hay or stubble but all the time it lasts it consumes It is not like gold and silver that is refined and made more pure then it was before it came into the fire Not like that seede which had only the shallow rooting of profession that withered so soone as the scorching beames of the Sunne came upon it The Apostle had more then naked profession Rom. Chapter 8. the latter end when under this fire of persecution Killed all the day long and counted as sheepe for the slaughter Yet hee professed in all his sufferings Hee was more then a Conquerour through Christ that loved him Hee was true gold indeed that was a gaine by this fire and what ever is but bare profession will soon consume when it commeth to this fire And truly God is now shaking not only the Earth but the Heavens also not only carnall wretches but even all professors and this shaking will shake off all that are not one with Christ This shaking is that those which cannot bee shaken may appeare to remaine But I rather thinke by fire here is meant the fire of the Spirit those bright beames of the glorious presence of GOD. As if the LORD should say You wood hay and stubble that build by profession upon my Christ and deceive the World by your formes empty of the power of Godlinesse you shall know that Christ is the only and proper foundation for gold silver and precious stones to build upon And I am resolved to make a discovery of the difference betweene them and you I will powre out my Spirit and that precious fire will enflame their love and your hatred to Christ Saints and truth That light shall try and discover your darkenesse for till that light appeares your darkenesse will be taken for light but when that light doth appeare it will discover your darkenesse in hating
the light Bare formall profession is so true an enemie to nothing as to spirituall light and an empty form enraged against nothing more then the power of godlinesse and therefore God makes tryall of all professing and professors by the powrings forth of his Spirit Truly if God did not looke that such as worship him should worship him in spirit truth he might have worshippers all the world over If the spirit and power of godlinesse were not the distinguishing character between professors Christ would have all to follow him and Saints and truth none to oppose them but when the Spirit of truth gathers up Saints into truths as they are in Jesus above this or the other naked forme and into the power of godlinesse bringing forth the fruits of holinesse then not only carnall wretches but also naked formall professors rise up against them and thus by this fire of the Spirit God doth discover all professors that build upon this foundation the Lord Jesus whether they be gold silver and precious stones or whether they be wood hay or stubble by their abiding or consuming Truly formes or no formes can give no good testimony to this new creature I judge of form no form as the Apostle of circumcision and uncircumcision that they avail nothing but the new creature And I believe as the power of godlinesse shall encrease the contendings in the world about formes will decrease that I am troubled at is this when men are rigidly zealous for formes yet then negligent of the power of godlinesse in themselves and opposite to it in others especially if they differ in formes which makes it evidently to appeare that their forme is their God and they have no God but forme And on the other side it is as sad if not more sad to behold such as pretend to higher communion with God then others have which walke in the use of formes and yet in their lives as loose as vaine and as empty of God as those which have nothing but forme That I contend for is the power of godlinesse and I would all the contentions in the world were swallowed up in this namely who should live up most of Christ to exceede each other in the power of godlinesse this contention would kill none but our lusts love to Christ Saints and truths would live indeed and 't would be our life to live in this love But there is another sort of people in the world which this truth informes us of that is such as talke much of the grace of God and yet turne that grace into wantonnesse such wretches did never spiritually understand this Text That who ever is in Christ is a new creature Nor doe they consider how they engage the purity of Christ to discover their impurity The Apostle Paul in Rom. 6. makes it matter of abhorrency to continue in sinne upon this consideration because grace did abound in God and truly God doth more abhorre to own them under a notion of grace be not deceived God is not mocked he will make his word appear truth against all the wretches in the world they shall know that such as are in Christ they are new creatures I have heard it reported that there be some which deny the Scriptures That which is understood by the titles of the old and new Testament to be the word of God I can say no such thing knowingly but sure I am that many thousands which acknowledge it with their lips deny it with their lives and that in this one Text That if any man be in Christ hee is a new creature for they will lay claime to the one and deny the other talke of their interest in saving grace but deny his sanctifying grace Such wretches as these bring an evill report upon the Gospel of Christ and the Christ of the Gospel The Gospel of Christ it is glad tidings being the proclaiming of Christ crucified as the gift of free-grace for poore sinners Now when such as hate to be reformed talke of the free-grace of God they put dishonour upon it and a stumbling-blocke before weake Christians It makes them stagger at grace to see grace-lesse men professe it and grace in truth hath harder thoughts of many and is lesse esteemed of because of this false profession of grace and I feare me it makes poore legall soules to make a God of their duties when they see these vilde creatures to abuse the grace of God I know not what is more vilde then this to live in sinne under a profession of grace These are seared consciences indeed that can sinne and name it grace and then call the God of truth to witnesse to that lye nay to make God himselfe a lyar for he saith who ever is in Christ is a new creature but they say they are in Christ and yet are olde creatures God will unmaske this hypocrisie and prove himselfe the God of truth Christ hath no fellowship with the unfruitfull workes of darknesse such as are in Christ their fellowship is with the Father with the Son such as have fellowship with Christ are those that live in Christ and Christ in them that live by the faith of the Sonne of God and in the spirit of the holy God so that they are changed into the image of God This is the new creature this is the gracious soule indeed such as have the power of their lives It is not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven but he that knoweth my Fathers will and doth it saith Christ 'T is grace in truth and act that consists with union and communion with Christ if in Christ then a new creature and all profession of grace without the new creature will appeare our owne fancy of grace and not the grace of God in truth for that alwayes produceth the new man If any man be in Christ he is a new creature Lastly This informes Saints indeed of their duty and priviledge for truly it is both and it is this That wee live to no other end but to live up Christ who is our life and if Christ be our life then we are new creatures and the life of the new creature is to live up Christ which is its life Children of the day should walke as such in the light of the Lord in the power and might of his Spirit It is the Apostles exhortation in Gal. 5.25 If we live in the Spirit let us also walke in the Spirit As if hee had said it is not only our businesse as Saints to live in the joyes of God but also to live up the God of our joyes not only to live upon God in the Spirit but to walke with God in the Spirit that is in the fruits of the Spirit for that is the Apostles subject in the verses just before this Christ is a living Christ he appeare where ever he is The Apostle James in his 2d chap. vers 17. tels us that faith
Seeking those things which are above where Christ fitteth on the right hand of GOD. Having its affections on things above and not on things on the earth Col. 3.1 2. As Christ so Saints in the world have no other businesse but to doe the will of their Heavenly Father Now truly the consideration of this may well put all Saints upon that great work of selfe-examination We are apt enough to see a mote in our brothers eye when wee overlooke the beame that is in our owne But it is the onely businesse of every Saint to live up Christ then it is worth the looking into our lives how much of Christ wee can find there what singlenesse of soule is in us to all the wayes will and worke of Christ whether we follow Christ for love or for the loaves For what hee is or for what hee gives Whether it be his love that constraines us to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts or whether feare of Hell shame or punishment stops the eyes pursute and stops the prractise of sinne Or whether our profession of godlinesse under what forme soever be to lift up Christ or selfe Whether if Heaven and Sinne might goe together we would not rather have sin live in our souls then Christ Whether that the profession of godlinesse which we seem so much to delight in be not a burthen to us in the power and life of it Whether that day in which Christ is most and selfe least in our souls be best to the souls content Whether it be the souls desire petition at the throne of grace to be unselft in every thing and that Christ may be all in all whether the soul doth indeed count that a lost day hour or moment in which he doth not in some measure lift up Christ and declare the in-dwelling of Christ in his soule by the out-goings of Christ in his life It is worthy a soules examination how the olde man dyeth and the new man is renewed in him day by day how pride and passion is brought under the feete of Christ in our soules how through Christ that loves us we are more then conquerours over sin and selfe by the love of Christ that conquers them in us and enableth us by his love to live like conquerours rejoycing and glorying in the free grace of our God the new creature is Christ in truth and truths as they are in Jesus godlinesse in power and the power of godlinesse holinesse in its beauty and the beauty of holinesse God in the Spirit and the Spirit of God heavenly mindednesse and a mind in heaven it is living and walking in the Spirit it is a soule united to Christ Christ in it and it in Christ Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature CHAP. X. Vanity and vexation of spirit compasseth all things under the sun Eccles Chap. 1. vers 14. I have seene all the workes that are done under the Sunne and behold all is vanity and vexation of spirit THIS Scripture is the testimony of the Wise man concerning all things under the Sunne and it is so upon seeing and trying all these things In the verse before this he tels us hee gave his heart to seeke and to search out by wisdome concerning the things that are done under heaven He hath attained the beholding of what he gave hie heart to seeke so that both seeking and seeing in wisdome he findes all to be vanity and vexation of spirit The vanity of the whole creation is the subject matter of all his booke He begins it thus in this first Chap. and 2d vers Vanity of vanities saith the Preacher Vanity of vanities all is vanity His heart is so full of the matter that hee doubles the sentence and as he begins with it in the generall so in his whole booke he followes the same subject in the particulars of it concludes his booke with the same generall in Chap. 13. vers 8. Vanity of vanities saith the Preacher all is vanity The Psalmist in Psalm 144. vers 4. Bears witnesse to this truth in the top-branch of all the creation Man saith he is like to vanity and he proves it for his dayes are as a shadow that passeth away And in Psalm 62.9 takes in men of high and low degree in the proofe of this generall truth Surely men of low degrees are vanity and men of high degrees are a lye to be laid in the ballance they are altogether lighter then vanity the vanity of the creature is a subject well worthy the study of a wise christian and truly none but Christ our wisdome can give us light into this vanity for method sake wee will draw out one generall truth which I thinke is visible in this Scripture That upon true discovery and knowledge of all things under the Sunne we shall finde them vanity and vexation of spirit For the proofe of this truth let us search the Scripture and our owne experience the wise man to prove this truth begins with man in his labour in his first Chap. vers 3 4. What profit hath a man of all his labour under the Sunne for he stayes not to keepe any fruit of his labour but passeth away one generation goeth and another commeth So in Chap. 2. vers 22 23. Man reapeth no content from all his labours under the sunne They fill him full of sorrow travell and griefe and at last he cannot lye downe and rest in them They are a bed of thornes unfit for rest yea when the poore creature comes to lye down indeed and sleep that sleep of death it find â—s no rest in all its labours under the Sun of what kinde soever So in Chap. 1.6 9.17 18 19. verses He tels us mans labour under these vanities is so great that he cannot utter it and that without any satisfaction though what is pursued be enjoyed For though the eye see yet it is not satisfied with seeing and though the eare doe he are yet it is not filled with hearing The creature can never give so long and so much till that which receives from it saith it hath enough though it give objects to the eye yet the eye wants more objects then it can give and though it offers to fill the eare yet the eare is not filled with all that it can give there is no new thing under the Sunne but that which hath been shall be and that which is done is that which shall be done So that though I give my heart to know all things wisdome madnesse and folly yet I find nothing new in them And in stead of content in all this variety of knowledge I found vexation of spirit for I will tell you the best and then judge you the rest In much wisdome is much griefe and he that encreaseth knowledge encreaseth sorrow And if this be the best of the best who can tell what is the worst of the worst he comes to particulars in Chap. 2. vers 1. he
sayes the weake man to the strong I thought if I could have stood upon your legges I might have stood strongly but now I find that strength is weaknesse and the worm of vanity is at the roote of that tree which knowes it till it dies Aske the rich man if a pillow stuffed with gold could make him sleep nay doth not his bags of gold keepe him awake Aske the great man whether all his greatnesse could satisfie his spirit nay is not the spirit of Haman there which is restlesse if Mordecay bow not his knee aske him that hath conquered all the World what hee wantt and he will tell you he wants more worlds to conquer After asking let us come to offering set dainty and delicious food in the abundance of it before a ficke and a lost stomack and bid it eate to satisfie he will tell you hee is best satisfied for in stead of loving he loaths it Then set it before a strong and healthy stomach and bid him eate and be satisfied he eates to satisfie till he destroyes both health and stomach so that he which eates not is not satisfied with emptinesse nor he which doth eate made glad by his fulnesse for both conditions are under the Sun and there is vanity in them man lives not by bread alone nor by any thing below God for all things under the Sun are vanity Offer a man that gaspeth for breath goodly buildings and glorious apparell no sayes he my coffin and my winding-sheet is of nearest relation to my conduion they must be my apparrel and my dwelling your offer is vanity I now finde the world to be such but vanity will not satisfie my living soule which is now bidding adieu to my dying bodie the worlds vanities may dazell and deceive a man that lives in pleasure but they can never please nor satisfie the eye heart that is going to sleep the sleep of death and lie downe in the bed of the grave the whele world is but a world of vanity and therefore to all that rest upon it must first or last prove vexation of spirit the proofs of this truth are a cloud of witnesses Every moment of our passing through this wildernesse of the World brings forth sinne Now because what is written for our instruction it will be wisdome in all to make use of this truth which the Wise man holds out to us upon his owne experience and which all Saints in their experience must and do beare witnesse to And first we may improve it thus It giveth us a discovery of the fruitlesse labours and contentions of all those that labour and cond contend meerely for the World in part or in whole For if this be truth that all things under the Sunne be vanity then it must needs be fruitlesse labour and contention which if it attain what it seekes yet findeth nothing but varity and in it vexation of spirit If this were truly set home upon our spirits by the Spirit of God Sathan would have fewer to worship him upon that temptation which he assaulted our Saviour with in shewing him the World in all its glory As wee come more to know God in the spirit so that we by that spirit know the world in its vanity and emptinesse then shall we labour and contend lesse for the vanities of the World and the World of vanities then shall we see the vanity of our laborious contending for that which is but vanity till then wee shall be laying out our money for that which is not bread and our spirits for that which profits not for till God gather up our spirits by his Spirit to himselfe the World will hold us and all that while wee are but wrapt up in the armes of vanity and dandled upon the knees of death for all things under the Sunne are vanity all that is below God is too low for a Saint to labour after or contend for This truth not only concernes those worldlings that are buried alive in the world but it may make Saints blush yea the best of Saints to consider how they have stretched forth their hands to graspe the wind and opened their hearts to let in vanity and upon this regard have been ready to conclude 't is good to be here let us build Tabernacles And so have labored to blow up this bladder of vanity with these pleasing imaginations to our flesh of honour profits pleasures of this world till God prick the bladder and let out this wind so that then wee see it vanity But truly so much of this old man as is in Saints makes a very uncomely sight that heirs of glory joynt-heirs with Christ in glory such as have a more exceeding and eternall weight of glory prepared for them waits to swallow them up to all eternity should be pursuing after vanity it best becomes Saints to be always upon the wing of faith for heaven above those vanities there is no footing in the World for a Saint the World is an ocean of uncertain waves that goeth one way the other way as the wind drives them so that the Dove can have no rest for the sole of her foote till she comes to the Arke from whence she went out a Saint shall find rest in nothing but in God his originall it is vanity in all to pursue vanity but especially in Saints for their lives are hid with Christ in God It is great folly for an empty stomacke to sucke in the winde for its satisfaction and this title wee may give to the wisedome of the wisest worldling which makes the Prodigals choise to feede on huskes if he could have had enough of them this winde may fill but it can never satisfie but sure this is exceeding folly in Saints who have bread enough in their Fathers house and their treasure in Heaven to have their hearts any where but in Heaven where their treasure is And it is much to the dishonour of God who is the glorious and satisfying interest of his people that they should be running to empty Cisterns when hee himselfe is an eternall fountaine of love life and exceeding glory to them and doubtless Saints in truth are very tender of the glory of God these children of love are much in love with their Fathers glory it grieves their spirits to see prophane wretches dishonour him but it doth exceedingly wound them if they be found actors in such a worke themselves and if so then wee should be very watchfull lest wee be under the fruitlesse labour and contentions of those that labour contend for the World in part or in whole If this truth were spiritually understood surely Saints would be more carelesse of the worlds frownes and lesse solicitous for their smiles and favours their best gifts and their sowrest lookes are all comprehended under this terme vanity and hee that hath their smiles hath no less of vanity then he that hath their frowns for they are vanity themselves and
the fruit can be no other then the tree is and it is the darknesse of that flesh which is in Saints that keeps them from a cleare discerning of that truth and makes them smile when the world smiles on them and be sad when the world frownes on them Vanity could not unsettle our spirits if vanity were not in them It is that vanity which is in our flesh that puts a value upon the vanity that is in the world but truly it is our exceeding shame that having the Lord to glory in we should glory in any thing but the God of our salvation and having so sure and abiding glory that any frownes from vanity should make the least damp upon our glory Saints are of an eternall glory and substance and therefore should not labour for nor glory in any thing but what is sutable that which will abide for ever and upon this consideration the whole World that lumpe of vanity is cut off at once it withers in the using and certainly dyeth either before or with our flesh it is not able to satisfie either out soules or bodies therefore unworthy to be laboured or contended for by any but especially by Saints that have God to live and delight in Againe the Wise mans discovery is that all things under the Sunne is vanity Carries along with it this counsell that we should use the world as if we us'd it not i. value it no higher then vanity let it be so in our eye and hearts let Gods end in creating of the world be our end in using of it He made the World to serve man and man only to serve himselfe so may we use all things not sinfull moderately and with thankesgiving making the whose Creation our servants and our foot-stoole so that in all and with all we serve our God and live in his bosome of love which is so bright a glory that it swalloweth up all the glory of the World and makes that something or nothing meerly as God appeares in them or not in them God is so perfect a glory that he makes the darkest lanthorn of the creature when he appeares in it to shine glorious and when he withdrawes his presence the Lanthorn is dark again sutable to its owne nature this should the world be in a Saints eye what of God is in the whole or any part of the creation embrace that keep close to that lift up his name his power and his glory in all so use the world as to lift up God above it My meaning is this use all power all place all honours and interest among the sonnes of men to lift up the Name of God This is a pretious spirit indeed that can despise the worlds glory when Gods glory goeth not with it and can rejoyce in the worlds reproaches when in that he may more advance the glory of his God this is to use the world as if we used it not to take it up and lay it downe onely as it may serve the highest end of our Being the lifting up of the glory of our God If there were any thing but vanity in the world I verily perswade my selfe it should have been part of the Saints portion but as it is it is too low a Region for the Saints to live in God giveth full blessings to his children and therefore hath given himselfe to be his peoples inheritance hath done them no injury in binding up the whole world under vanity for it is not their portion it is at most but their Wildernesse footstoole Christ is their Rock of Ages Heaven their more exceeding and eternall weight of glory Saints would soon have low thoughts of the world if their hearts were lifted up to their interest the King and Kingdome of glory it will then appeare that we used it as if we used it not that when we have it it is no part of our life and glory so when it is gone we have no want of it for God is our all and we have at all times all in God It is not the creature which is vanity that maketh a Saints joy but God in the creature and if that vanity vanish away yet the comfort doth not because that is bound up in God who liveth for ever God doth often vary in his dispensations to his children but not in his love which is their life though in reference to the world he leads them through good and bad reports through ficknesse and health high and low honorable and dishenorable esteem of the world yet in all this his eternall love is alwayes the same and Saints knowing this are as full of life and joy in the one condition as in the other because God and his love is their life and joy in all conditions And hence it comes that Saints use the world with so much slightnesse because not any of their life and interest is bound up in it if the Gourd be green and flourish yet God and not that is their life and glory if the Gourd wither and die yet they doe not for they have lost nothing in the Gourds being nothing because God who is all is their all Oh that the Spirit did live more in Saints then should we live more in God and lesse in the world then should wee truly use the world as if we used it not This truth doth also shew us the glorious interest of Saints that have a God to live and glory in though there be vanity in all things under the Sunne Sure it could not but be amazement to that Tyrant to behold the 3 children in the fiery furnace and not consumed And were it well considered it would be as great an amazement to the world to see Saints full of rest joy and peace in their spirits though the world be full of changes and altogether vanity Put these together and we shall finde the cause to be one and the same in Daniel 3. verse 25. The Text telleth us That foure men walked in the midst of the fire and the form of the fourth is like the Sonne of God The Text gives us the reason why the fire could not consume them according to its own nature because the presence of God was there the reason is the same though the Saints have their being among the vanities under the Sunne yet they have their reall being and their life in the bosome of God and his Spirit lives in their bosome so that it is his presence which makes that rest joy and peace that is in their soules A Rock that giveth forth water in a dry and long Wildernesse hath its double beauty such is God to his children in this wildernesse of vanity he is Rock and Water of life both and such as experiment him can tell they have meat to eat such as the world kowes not of and when the world shall be forced to confesse that their food is buskes and not enough neither then can such as have an interest in God
make this their boastings that they live upon the living God that to them it is Christ to live and gain to dye that they want nothing here and have this assurance in their bosomes that there waits to swallow them up to all eternity a more exceeding and eternall weight of glory The vanity of all things urider the Sunne doth onely make them miserable whose lives are so low but for such as have their interest in God and live upon him they live in the Sun of Righteousnesse that is above all vanity and in the love of God which hath not the shadow of change in it contrarieties sets forth each other the misery of that soule which hath nothing but a vaine world to live on sets forth the glory of him which hath the God of glory to his portion only herein they differ the world is not so perfect an emptinesse as God is fulnesse there is more in God to satisfie then can be in the world to dissatisfie If all the vanity and emptinesse of the world appeare at once to disquiet and distract a spirit yet if at that moment one glimpse of Gods love doe but appeare it stils and quiets all this shewes how glorious an interest God is to his peopse that a world of vanities is not able to disquiet where his love appearer The loving kindnesse of God is better then life it is all our life it is life in death and above death it puts the soule upon this triumph nothing shall seperate me from the love of God and Christ neither life nor death things present or things to come or any thing because God is my interest my life and my glory That can never come to nothing which made all things out of nothing now that is God He made all things out of nothing but can never be made nothing himselfe all powers springs from him therefore no powers can be above him Hee said let there be light and it was so let the Sunne rule the day and the Moone the night and it was so It is this power and glory that is the interest of Saints so that an empty world can neither take from nor adde to their felicity because their lives are hidde with Christ in God and when Christ shall appeare then shall all his appeare with him in glory Furthermore It will be the wisdome of Saints to learn from the Wise mans experience First not to trust in the World or any thing under the Sun because all is vanity hee that rests upon a broken reed doth not only lose his hopes and his ends but is wounded by that which he trusted in The world is this broken reed it makes a show but can beare no weight the soule that trusteth it must find it so because 't is vanity and in the experience of this vanity there is not only hopes lost and disappointments in their roome but also vexation of spirit 'T was so with Jonas when the Gourd failed him hee said hee did well to be angry Disappointments have a mighty weight upon a naturall heart the hopes of the world do puffe up like a bladder which is filled only with wind but the disappointments of the world come like a mil-stone that presseth down to the dust nay the hopes of the world have so many fears mixed with them that it is hard to discover which is most the hopes or the feares but when the disappointment comes then the former hopes encrease the present griefes and the complainings then are as the Prophets were My friend that lay in my bosome hath betrayed mee I neither knew it nor feared it to be a broken reede till I had placed my hopes and confidence in it and that weight discovered it Indeed saith this poore heart though I had no mind to think of dying yet I could not tell how short my life was but I well hoped this that the pleasures profits and honours of the World would not leave mee in this life therefore I gave out my heart to them bound up my spirit in them lay downe to rest by them and expected they should be a Gourd to shelter mee from sunne and stormes but the poore soule which thus trusteth in the World doth not see it vanity is not knowing of the worm that is at the roote of the Gourd to consume it his heart saith as the foole in the Gospel Soule take thine ease thou hast goods laid up for many yoares but doth not heare that voice that saith thou foole this night shall thy soule be taken from thee It is a great burthen to be disappointed for the present but to be disappointed to eternity is more misery then can be expressed and thus must every soule be that trusteth the world and layeth out it selfe upon it All things under the Sunne have their creation and their being from God therefore must needs be what God intended them to be i. a created being which must returne to its first nothing The world is a map of vanity never intended by its originall to be an object of faith or hope It is the Earth that must be shaken untill it be crumbled to nothing therefore very unfit to be trusted or rested in the vanity under the Sun will be no better satisfaction to such soules as trust in them then the fig-leaves were a garment to cover the nakednesse of our first Parents neither of both can beget confidence enough to come into the presence of God where the spirit seales up this truth to any soule sure there will be no more trusting of or in the world or in any thing under the Sun because vanity comprehends it all Psal 61.9 Men of low degree are vanity and men of high degree are a lye altogether lighter then vanity So that trust man or men of what degreee soever they must deceive because they are vanity the man of high degree in his out-side promiseth more then him of low degree but he will prove a lye there is a worme at his roote hee will wither to nothing Methinkes the Prophets counsell Psal 2.10 commeth in very sutable to this purpose Be wise now therefore O yee Kings be learned yee that are Judges of the earth serve the Lord with feare and rejoyce in him with reverence Kisse the Sonne lest he be angry and so yee perish from the right way If his wrath be kindled yea but a little blessed are all they that put their trust in him Observe it and it amounts to thus much That the highest and greatest amongst men rest not in themselves or any other piece of vanity but to close with Christ and trust in him For saith the Prophet there will appeare a day of blasting all these lower vanities and then you will finde them to be blessed that put their trust in him On that Kings and Judges Parliaments and people had learned this heavenly wisdome to kisse the Sonne to close with Christ to doe his worke to lift up his Scepter and
As if the Lord Christ had said My work and will is bound up in God and it is my joy and content to be doing his worke and fulfilling his will And in the fifth of John verse 30. I seek not my own will but the will of my Father which hath sent me I pursue the businesse that I came about to perfect the will of him I came from from John 6.38 For I came downe from heaven not to doe my owne will but the will of him that sent me so that in all these Scriptures it appeares that Christ owneth nor doth no will but the will of God Now as it was the Lord Christs work to doe the wil of God in all things so is it Saints duty in conformity to Christ their Head to be willing and doing no other will but the will of God If the Lord Christ will allow in himselfe no other will but the will of God then certainly he will not doe it in his members it is both the duty and priviledge of Saints to be made conformable to Christ their Head As the branches in the vine receive that sap which cometh from the root and bringeth forth such fruit as that fap produceth so is it with Saints united to Christ they have their lise and fruit from union and he owneth them to be united to him that heare the word of God and doe it Luke 8.21 This is so cleare a truth so much of God in it that I cannot doubt but it carries its proofe and commission with it into the bosomes of all such as owne God and Christ so that the improving will be more edifying then the proving Therefore confider the second head namely That so farre as Christ liveth in any soule it is the dâ—sire of such a soul that the whole will of God and no other but the will of God may be done in all times and things What Christ is in himself that he is in his members he is in himself one with the wil of God so where Christ lives in any soule so much Christ so much onenesse with and conformity to the will of God Such a soul speaks in Christs strength and so speakes Christs language to God Not my will but thy will be done There is in the best of Saints on earth as in Paul a double Law one in the members and another in the minde one of the flesh and another of the spirit but as that Apostle Rom. 7. last Through Christ he served God with the mind Where Christ possesseth there God is obeyed if he lives and reignes in any soule that soule so farre knowes no will to obey but the will of God and if any part of that man know any other will it is the fleshly part which Christ hath not fully subdued to himself but where Christ liveth there he suffers no other will but the will of God to beare rule And as the fire of Gods Spirit doth consume the lusts of the flesh in Saints so doth the will of such Saints runne more and more into the wil of God they are lost unto themselves and found in God they will and doe every day lesse of Selfe and more of God they are crucified with Christ to the world and the world to them and the life that they then live is by the faith of the Son of God in conformity to the will of God Christ makes the desires shapes and formes the will in such soules as he lives in to God and God is sure to have that which Christ new makes For it is his businesse to doe his Fathers worke When ever Christ new makes or makes the new creature in any soule his end is to make for God and to lift up his own name in lifting up God for he telleth us in the 17. of John verse 21 22. That himselfe and his Father are one and as there is but one will in God and Christ so there is onely that one will in every soul that Christ powerfully liveth in so farre as he doth live in it by his Spirit For it is the property of the Spirit as fire to burn up and consume all but substance what ever is drosse is consumed where that holy fire comes now all flesh and selfe is drosse both in will and work and that the Spirit burnes up and leaves nothing remaining in such a soule where it liveth so farre as it hath overcome but the substantial and holy wil of God And from hence it is that any soul comes to be changed in its desires because it is changed in it selfe or more properly out of it selfe from flesh to spirit from selfe to Christ from its own wil to the wil of God But now if any shall object and say This is a hard saying who can beare it This makes Christianity to be such a burthensome thing as the world reports it to be that a man must be alwayes crossing and denying himselfe of any will or content of his own so as by this rate the way to heaven is to have no pleasure upon earth To this I answer It is ignorance of God and his wayes that makes this objection this sounds like the answer of Nieodemus to our Saviour in the third of John verse 4. when Christ had been shewing him the necessity of regeneration and spake in the Spirit to him of being born again he understood not the Spirit and as he understood him so answered him in the flesh How can a man be born when he is old Can he enter the second time into his mothers womb and be born Christ spake in the Spirit but Nicodemus understood him onely in the flesh and therefore judgeth it hard or impossible that there should be a regeneration or new birth though Christ had told him the necessity of it So doe all that are ignorant of God and his wayes thus conclude of him as they understand him so that when he speakes in the Spirit and they understand him in the flesh they conclude according to the light they are under that what is impossible with man is so with God to them because they have no other knowledge of God but in the flesh But let such as are spirituall consider First God gives what he commands and then commands what he gives God that commands to be worshipped and obeyed in spirit gives his Spirit to worship and obey him in God is no hard master he takes not up where he layes not down he covenants freely and makes it fully good to put his law in the inner parts of his people and to write it in their hearts Jerem. 31.33 And to give them his Spirit of truth to dwell with them and be in them and to teach them all things John 14.17.26 Now none but a fleshly understanding can condemne God for a hard master and his will swallowing up our will to be a joylesse comfortlesse burthensome thing when as hee gives his Spirit to doe that in us which hee requires of
though under tribulations this is to be more then Conquerers This is the way that our Saviour tooke with his Disciples when he was to leave them so that they could have no more of his fleshly presence his designe was to comfort them and give in that which might beare up their spirits therefore John 14.1 Let not your hearts be troubled but believe in God through me behold the love of God in sending me and your interest in that love then consider that in my Fathers house are many mansions fulnesse of glory enough for all Saints And my going from you is but to prepare a place to take possession for you as your head And I will come againe and renew you to my selfe for heaven can never part mee and my members And I will pray the Father that in my absence he shall give you another Comforter even the Spirit of truth which shall dwell with you and abide with you and teach you all things And if in that spirit you aske any thing in my Name I will doe it I will effect it for you And in John 15.9 As the Father hath loved me so have I loved you continue in my love And in John 17. Christ prayes for his Disciples and all his members telling God All mine are thine and thine are mine and I am glorifieâ— in them And therefore after hee had prayed God to keepe them in the World and from the evil of the World In vers 24. he prayes that they may be with him in glory Father I will that all whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me So that he gives in spirituall joyes and comforts to support and carry them through the feares they were under and the tribulations they should find in the world he gives in the joyes of heaven to carry them through the sorrowes on earth and the joyes exceed the sorrowes as Heaven doth Earth If God deale thus with his people that when he leads them into suffering and difficult worke yet then they have a greater income of strength then service of joy then sorrow of rest in God then trouble from the world then surely this way of Gods working the will of his people over to his will is not a hard but a pleasing worke and all these Scriptures makes this good That God when he brings over the will of his people to his owne will doth not make them a comfortlesse joylesse people but gives in heights and fuller joyes and contentments into the soule so that the soule makes choise of God to delight it selfe in and give it selfe up too with this resignation Not my will but thy will be done O Father Fifthly and lastly When God brings over his peoples will to his owne he convinceth them and makes them to believe that their owne present future and eternall good is bound up in this will So that as God workes his will upon his people it is not so hard a worke as the world thinks for Saints to surrender up their will unto the will of God GOd dealt thus by Noah it was his will that Noah should build an Arke to save himselfe and his Family from perishing with the olde World God convinceth him and makes him to believe that the present and future good of himselfe and family was in the thing immediately Noah's will was as God's will for hee being warned of God by faith sayes the Text he builded an Arke Heb. 11.7 So Peter though at first hee denyed our Saviour to wash his feete yet when Christ told him that if hee washed him not be had no part in him nay then sayes he not only my feete but also my hands and my head John 13.8 9. This fully proves the thing in hand Peter's will opposed Christs now our Saviour to bring over Peter's will to himselfe takes this course shewes him and convinceth him that his owne good was in submitting to his wil. The Apostle no sooner believes this but our Saviour hath his end nay then Lord not my will but thy will be done not only my feete but also my hands and my head The Apostle Paul in Phil. 4.12 13. tels us he knew both how to be abased and how to abound to be full and suffer hunger to abound and suffer neede I can doe all things through Christ that strengthens me That is he could in all conditions give up his will to God not dispute with any of GOds will but submit to all And methinkes the same Apostle in Rom. 8.28 gives us the ground of this sweete and heavenly frame of spirit in him For sayes he we know that all things worke together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose That is the good of Gods Elect is in all the will of God God wils nothing but what shall worke together for this good so that my soule believing of this I can give up my whole will to God I know what ever he doth my good is in it therefore whether God in this life make me to want or abound I am content in both and choose his will for my will because I am convinced and doe verily believe that my good is in it I have this faith in Christ that my good is in all God doth therefore I can submit to Gods will and doe all things through Christ that strengthens me Thus God in Christ enables his people to give up their wils to him by convincing them and making them believe that their owne good is in his will So that gather up all these together and it will plainly appear that it is ignorance of God and his wayes in any soule that shall make this objection that Gods wayes upon the soules of his people are hard and burthensome wayes such as if a man once enters into and gives up his will to Gods will then he must be ever crossing and denying himselfe making the way to heaven without any pleasure or joy on earth This is false for First God gives what he commands then his commands cannot be hard Secondly He leads his children he doth not drive them hee winnes and overcomes them by his love he doth not force them Thirdly Hee changes the objects and affections of the soule and so overcomes the will Fourthly He gives in higher and fuller joyes and contentments into the soules of his people when he melteth them into his owne will then they had at any time or at all times before And lastly God convinceth and maketh the soules of his people to believe that their good is bound up in his will This way of working must needs convince that the worke the way and the end of God is sweete safe and pleasant to the soules of his people when he brings them to this frame of spirit to say in sincerity Not my will but thy will be done O Father Doubtlesse it will be worthy
it thus It is that which earnestly desires every thing but likes and is pleased with nothing shapes out it s owne happinesse and presently mislikes its owne handy worke thinkes all things sweete which it cannot reach and therefore pines after them but nothing sweete which it doth enjoy and therefore is peevish and not content with what ever it possesseth This is a foule stomack that which will nourish another doth annoy and burthen it he is like a sick man that findes fault with every bed because his disease is in his body and he carries it with him from bed to bed hee repines that some others have more then himselfe but is not content though he have more then many others he suckes the sweete out of every thing before he comes at it by his earnest desire to it and his over-prizing of it so that when hee doth reach the thing it reaches not his ends therefore the heart is alwayes repining This eye multiplies things at a distance but diminishes when neare at hand this man forgets what he hath and only remembers what he would have this repining heart must needes be an unthankefull heart for such as blesse God doe acknowledge that they receive blessings from God so doth not the repining heart for he cannot count that a blessing which he repines at this is a sore evill among the sons of men and it ariseth from this two-fold ignorance of God and our selues First Ignorance of God that all fulnesse is in him and that hee is a free agent to dispense when where and how hee pleaseth Secondly Ignorance of our selves that in our selves we are meere empty nothings and that what ever wee have or enjoy it is received God makes us passive to receive what he gives and that is the top-glory of selfe Now to this heart the Apostles questions comes very close and home Tell me O peevish repining heart Who maketh thee to differ from another what hast thou that thou hast not received Canst thou give mee a reason why thou wert not created a worme to crawle upon the earth a fit subject for every foote to tread upon rather then a reasonable and defensable creature Wert thou clay in the Potters hands and dost thou quarrel at what thou art made Hast thou received a tongue and shall it speak against the giver Doth thy heart live by life received and yet murmure against the hand that gave thee life It ill becomes such as are beholding for every thing to pine at any thing It is nothing but meere mercy kindnesse bounty goodnesse and free-grace in God that makes thee to differ from the most wickedst wretch on Earth from the veriest foole alive from the miserablest man or woman in the World yea that makes thee any title beyond the lowest most despisablest piece of the whole Creation or not being left in thy first lump of confusion Now quarrell if thou canst justifie thy selfe in it with the dispensations of God to thee If thou hadst made thy selfe why didst thou not doe it to thy owne content but if God have made thee any thing out of nothing why dost thou quarrel with God if God be free in himselfe and have freely blessed thee thou shewest an ill heart and spirit to quarrel with and repine at the free workings and blessings of his owne grace Consider man The whole family in Heaven and Earth is Gods he gives thee day by day thy daily bread thou dost weare his cloaths and breath in his aire thou walkest in his strength and lyest downe to sleep on his bed thou hast received all from him and he gives nothing so as to put the propriety out of himselfe Hee that gives all can take all away when he pleaseth and then murmuring heart thou maist know the want of that which thou didst not prize the enjoyment of thou that repinest must repine at this that the will of God is done Now doe but consider the exceeding evill of that spirit which can be angry because God is pleased when at the same time this man lives moves hath his being and his wel-being from the good pleasure of this God God is pleased to doe good to him but he thinks it not good that God should be pleased for he is not pleased with the good will of God hee that repines at the workings of God doth by that imply he thinkes himself wiser then God and if he had power could mend the workings of God in the World Thou hast nothing but what thou hast received therefore thou canst not be displeased with what thou hast and art but thou must finde fault with the giver as well as the gift and art thou not in this an ignorant and unthankefull wretch This is not the Apostle Paul's frame of spirit for he makes this acknowledgement It is by the grace of God that I am what I am And upon this account wee finde the same Apostle content in all conditions he knew both how to want and abound and in all estates to be content for Christ had taught him That grace in God dispensed all conditions to him hee knew that hee received all from free-grace and that the free-grace of God was in all that he did receive and this made his soule to be satisfied and kept repining from his heart and lips Sure if God by his Spirit reveale and set home this truth upon the hearts of any though murmurers and repining proud ones before yet then they will lay their hands upon their lips and lye downe at Gods feete confessing that they are fooles and in this as ignorant as bruit beasts that they have not knowne all this while that they have lived upon free-grace and spent upon received mercies kindnesses from God and then the streame will be turned from repining to admiring as he did Lord what am I and my Fathers house What is man that thou thus regardest him Nay what was I before thou mad'st me what I am I have received all from thee even my first being Oh how wonderfull is the Lord and his wayes past finding out sayen this soule Nay I have had continued to me abused mercies I have wronged God with his owne mercies and yet he hath continued to be gracious he hath silled my bosome with those kindnesses that I have unkindely throwne in his face Oh now breake heart melt soule and fall flesh before the everliving God whose eternall love thou hast lived upon and abused thou hast resisted God with his owne strength turned his grace into wantonnesse the gifts and parts thou hast received from him to the opposing of his will the abusing of his members Blush then and be ashamed O proud heart be silent and complaine not O repining soule Finde no fault for thou art a debter thou hast beene all this while a receiving and hast no cause to make mention of the returnes thou hast made admire thou art not in Hell that God should not choose
wil also glory through the free-grace of God in this that Christ is made his Righteousnesse and Justification so that hee stands compleate before God in him Free-grace made Christ sinne for me sayes this soule that I might be made the righteousnesse of God in him 2 Cor. 5. last Jesus Christ in the designe of Gods free-grace hath borne sinne death hel law and curse for me that I am for ever acquitted from the condemning reigning or devouring power of any or of all these Now sayes this soule tel me you that understand Is nor this God of free-grace the only subject of a Saints glory Nay I wil tel you more God himselfe is the fulnesse of his peoples glory to all eternity hee lets the Worldlings for a little time to glut themselves with the World but himselfe is the free the full and eternal glory of his people in the Ages to come even to all eternity hee is filling his people with the exceeding riches of his grace and kindnesse in Christ Jesus Ephes 2.7 God doth to all eternity set open his bosom and not give to such as are heirs of himselfe flagons but oceans of love and glory It must needs be glory if it be Gods love Now this I and more then this more then eternity can tel is the free-grace of God therefore let him that glorieth glory in the Lord for he is God the only fountaine and fulnesse of free-grace But if any should object and say if grace be thus free in God to elect call justifie sanctifie and glorifie his people meerely of his free-grace why then did Christ take flesh and in the flesh satisfie the utmost of Gods justice for the sinnes of his people It seemes to appeare that God was satisfied in his justice he had the debt paid how then doe you make it grace To this I answer that in its proper place I shal make use of this argument to clear up the glory of God in the exactnesse of his justice but it doth no ways diminish the freeness of his grace to us for it is free-grace that made Christ to be the satisfaction of divine justice for our sinnes and that God satisfies his owne justice in himselfe doth no more make his grace not to be free then the making his Covenant in himselfe could keepe that from being free that justice is satisfied makes it ful redemption to us but that God doth it in Christ which is wholly out of our selves keeps it very exactly to bee the redemption of free-grace Wee are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Rom. 3.24 That God doth satisfie his justice in Christ it is that through him we might be made partake is of the redemption of his grace it is grace redeemes and just fies by Christ but Christ the gift of Gods grace cannot diminish his grace that which God gives his people through Christ though he satisfies his justice in the way yet he magnifies the freenesse of his grace in the work A third particular is this The riches of Gods mercy The Apostle Paul glories in God upon this very consideration in Ephes 2.4 But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith hee loved us and so forwards God to manifest his great love wherewith he loved his people bestowes on them the riches of his mercy namely his eternal love his free-grace his beloved Sonne and in him election calling justification sanctification and glorification and his holy spirit in these now this will be acknowledged to be rich mercy many doe pretend to be givers though they have nothing but what they first receive but none I am sure but blasphemers can pretend to be givers of such rich mercies as these God is the onely fountaine and giver of these more exceeding and eternall weights of glory Nay that which Worldlings make their God namely the World it was created by him and for him and though it be a curse to them that know no other God yet every piece and parcell of it sanctified is a blessing and a rich mercy of God to his chosen people love makes all conditions to be rich mercy of God to them It was a rich mercy to a darke world to say let there be light and it was so but then how rich is God in mercy when he makes known his eternall love and shines through the wounds of Christ by his owne spirit into a darke soule and bids the soule be of good cheere its sinnes are forgiven It stands compleat in Christ and is an heire of God a joynt-heire with Christ however men may slight the riches of these spiritual mercies whilst they are glutting their soules with the World yet let them remember the time is not farre off when death shall close their eyes and their soules sit upod their trembling lips and then a glimpse of a reconciled God in Christ will be found a rich mercy The Apostle cals the love of God heights and breadths depths and lengths of love Hee takes in all that hee could reckon up to shew the exceeding riches of it God is the fulnesse of glory and the fountaine of mercy therefore his mercies must needs be rich and full of glory So then as riches of mercy is a subject of glory let him that glorieth glory in the Lord. In the next place Consider the faithfulnesse of God in making good of his promises God is a free God in all his promises he onely ingages himselfe no soule can ingage God for to receive all from God and yet to oblige God is a contradiction the first is a truth of God what the latter is I leave the Reader to judge But as God is free in all his promises the whole workings of God in the world is an ample testimony to this truth and faithfulnesse of God but yet for more particular proofe take two or three Scriptures First Gods promises at the fault of the first Adam to give the Lord Jesus Christ the second Adam in Gen. 3.15 That the Seed of the Woman namely Christ should bruise the Serpents head This Serpent is the Devill Now to the making good of this promise the whole word of God and the salvation of his people is a full testimony For another great promise take that of Gods giving his Spirit to his people to teach them and to lead them into all truth and by which he doth write his Law in the hearts and inward parts of his people Jer. 31.33 John 14.26 Now how God doth make good this promise such as be truly spirituall can give in their testimony and I doubt not but God hath many thousand such witnesses in the world though such as know him not doe blaspheme and scoff at him in scoffing at his Spirit in his people yet Saints in truth will tell you that they in themselves are darknesse and God is onely light and it is the Spirit of God in them that is their light that they know
or parted God every tittle of revealed truth which is Christ written out by the Spirit it is all God and Christ in one and this Spirit that reveales Christ to the world in the word and to the believer in his soule this Spirit is God too that so all within the soule is God all about the soule is God and all comes from the soule is God and this is the freedome the believer in his conscience hath from the law in the letter it is not destroyed but established It is taken out of the hand of Moses the servant and put into the hand of Christ the Sonne it is not made void but fulfilled for us and in us who walke not after the flesh but after the spirit Now behold the Law in its glory changed from law to Gospel from letter to spirit from Moses to Christ from death to life from an angry God to a loving Father as it is Gospel so it is Spirit 't is Christ yea it is God himselfe On the glory of that Law which is God not only declaring the mind will of God but in the spirit of love filling the soule with strength to obey from whence we find Christ in the Gospel calling upon those that love him to keepe his Commandements God Christ and the Spirit being in the Law it becomes the law of life when the law had in it but a naked demonstration what a Creator might justly require of a fallen creature but gave no strength it is held forth under the termes of the law of sinne and death by which it had not that glory to invite a poore soule to looke on it because the soule could see nothing but its death in it but as Christ being made under the law to redeem them that were under the law hath satisfied his and our Father fully in it for us so hee hath turned this law into his law of love into Gospel into Spirit into himselfe and his Father Now this law hath that beauty which allures and takes every beleeving soule nature turned into grace it is now meate and drinke to a believer to doe the will of God in the Spirit First This will let us truly to understand who they be that be Antinomians Those that deny the Law if I may judge I should say it is those that would keepe it in the hand of the servant out of the Sonne what can be a greater denying of it then to keepe it in the Letter out of the Spirit to rob it of that glory which is God and Christ in the Spirit What soule dare put it selfe under the Law out of Christ when in so doing it makes it selfe a debter to the whole law And as the Apostle in Gal. 3.10 11. sayes So many as are under the workes of the law are under the curse of the law and under that law which can never justifie before God Now to keepe the law in such a state as this is will make every soule shun it not daring to come under it as seeing nothing but death in it Sathan is the soules greatest enemy in darkning it with legall principles that it sees not Christ so are those the greatest enemies to the holy just and good law of God that would pul that nature of Christ in his Spirit from it and leave it still the law of the letter in the hand of Moses when God and Christ hath made it Gospel-law the law of love in the Spirit The law may here complain as the Spouse did of those watch-men that rent her vaile those that rend Christ from the law rend the beautifull vaile the glory of the law from it These holds forth the law dead like Lazarus in the grave stinking and those that follow it weeping Or as Pharoah to the children of Isael doubling the tale of bricks and giving no straw what glory is there in this But those that hold out the Law in the Spirit holds it not only forth as a law that lives but a law that gives life so farre from requiring the tale of bricke to be doubled and give no straw that in every duty it brings Christ in whence we are able to doe all things This makes it plainely appeare who they be which deny the law and may justly be distinguished by the name of Antinomians Againe this exhorts Saints that seeing it is part of the redemption of the blood of Christ That no law but the law of love the spirit of life in Christ should rule or reigne in the conscience of a believer To take the counsell of the Apostle in Gal. 5.1 Stand fast therefore in that liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and be not entangled againe with the yoake of bondage God hath not given nor Saints received the spirit of bondage againe to feare but the pirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father This is the life of our lives to live in the spirit It is the great promise of the Gospel to give the Spirit This would I know when doth the soule feast but when God spreads tables of love and in the Spirit bids us eate my beloved eate abundantly and be satisfied Nature teaches the outward man to stand for liberty oh then what should grace doe how should this stirre us up to stand for that liberty which is our life loose this and loose all your spirituall life in a moment doe but once looke on the law out of Christ and it will be with us as those in 2 Cor. 3.15 But even to this day when Moses is read the vaile is upon their hearts This vaile will be a vaile of darknesse that the soule shall not see Christ in propriety in any of his offices benefits or merits If any or all these be deare oh then stand fast in this liberty wherewith Christ bath made us free This is that freedome the Sonne hath made which is freedome indeed But if the Sonne make us not free then are we bond men to eternity If thy heart be hard looke on him whom you have piereed and then shall it be evangelically melted If sinne sting thy conscience looke on him that is is lifted up which the brazen Serpent typified this is our freedome and Christs prerogative the governement is on his shoulders he is that King and his Spirit that Law which is only to reigne in the conscience of his people Why should not our soules count deare of that which is so deare to Christ and all his people This is that glory Christ will not give to another therefore this is that glory wee should only give to Christ Oh then admire and extoll for ever this glory of the riches of the free-grace of God in Christ that hath freely given this state of grace this glorious state to us that were by nature the children of wrath as well as others It doth not yet appear what we shall be so that more glory shall be then is yet revealed but our soules must confesse that